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THE METROPOLITAN MUSEtJM 
OF ART 

EXHIBITION OF 

EARLY CHINESE POTTERY 

AND SCULPTURE 



M C M X V I 






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EARLY CHINESE 
POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 



THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM 
OF ART 



CATALOGUE OF 

AN 

EXHIBITION OF EARLY CHINESE 

POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

BY ii i" 

S. C. BOSCH REITZ T^nP 

CURATOR OF THE DEPARTMENT 
OF FAR EASTERN ART 



NEW YORK 
MCMXVI 



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COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY 
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART 



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S)CI.A428482 



APR 12 1916 



The cost of publishing this catalogue has 
been largely met by private subscription 
among friends of the Museum whose 
names are withheld at their request. 



LIST OF LENDERS 

Smithsonian Institution 

(Charles L. Freer Collection) 

Mr. Samuel T. Peters 

Mr. Howard Mansfield 

Mr. Albert Gallatin 

Mr. James W. Barney 

Mr. John Piatt 

Mr. Grenville Lindall Winthrop 

Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Meyer, Jr. 

Miss Katharine N. Rhoades 

Mr. Charles W. Gould 

Mr. S. K. de Forest 

Mr. Alfred N. Beadleston 



PREFACE 

IN presenting this catalogue I must explain that I have 
made the most ample use of the catalogue of the exhibi- 
tion held under the auspices of the Japan Society in 1914. 
As our object is now, as it was then, to bring before the public 
the best works of art and the best information available, I 
could not do better. The Japan Society has generously given 
its permission, and Mrs. Rose Sickler Williams has allowed 
us to reprint her exhaustive and very able report on early 
Chinese potteries. The identifications and descriptions then 
made by R. L. Hobson have been used for those numbers 
which were exhibited then, and new ones were made after 
his example. For that reason we have reproduced his Pref- 
atory Note, which contains a great deal of valuable infor- 
mation. In expressing our sincere thanks for this valuable 
assistance, we must also mention Mr. Charles L. Freer and 
Mr. Samuel T. Peters, who by their substantial help and advice 
have done so much toward the success of this exhibition. 

S. C. Bosch Reitz. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Preface ix 

Table of Contents xi 

Introduction xiii 

Chinese and Corean Potteries xxiii 

List of Chinese Dynasties xxvii 

Catalogue i 

T'ang Period 3 

Ting Ware 8 

Tz'u-chou Ware 19 

Chiin Ware 25 

Lung-ch'iian Ware or Celadon 55 

Corean Ware 61 

Sculpture and Bronzes 66 

Appendix 75 

Keramic Wares of the Sung Dynasty, by Rose Sickler 

Williams 77 

Glossary 135 

Illustrations 141 



INTRODUCTION 

IN exhibiting a loan collection of early Chinese pottery 
and sculpture, The Metropolitan Museum of Art has 
a double object in view: first, to encourage the interest 
in Far Eastern Art by showing the best available examples; 
and in the second place, by bringing together allied though 
different ceramic wares, to facilitate knowledge and research. 

The excellent article which was written by Mrs. Rose 
Sickler Williams for the catalogue of the exhibition arranged 
by the Japan Society two years ago, and which we were allowed 
to reprint in this catalogue, gives the best and latest historic 
and scientific information on the subject and will, no doubt, 
be a great help to the student. For those who are not familiar 
with the development of ceramic art in China, a few words 
about the origin of, and the relation between, the difi^erent 
kinds of pottery exhibited may be of use. 

The exhibition was called an Exhibition of Chinese Pottery 
because, although, scientifically speaking, porcelain was 
made in China at a very early date, what we understand as 
true porcelain was made during the Ming dynasty or little 
earlier, and is not represented in our exhibition. The wares 
of the T'ang and Sung periods were porcelanous earthen- 
ware or pottery. Porcelain consists of a body of kaolin 
covered with a glaze of petuntse, the flesh and bone, accord- 
ing to Chinese authors. Kaolin is a non-fusible earth, held 
together and glazed with petuntse, the same earth which, 

[ xiii ] 



INTRODUCTION 

disintegrated by millions of years, has been rendered fusible. 
These two substances, by nature allied, when fired together 
in a considerable heat form an absolutely homogeneous body 
which breaks or cracks but the glaze does not chip off. Accord- 
ing to the European standard, porcelain should be trans- 
lucent, resonant, and hard, that is, it cannot be scratched 
with a knife. The Chinese claim only resonance and hardness. 
As soon, however, as kaolin was used in the manufacture, 
the nature of porcelain was there. We know from records 
that this was the case in the seventh century and it may 
have been before. The early wares, however, retained 
the nature of stoneware or porcelanous pottery till the end 
of the Sung period, though some of the thinly potted Ting 
ware, as shown in our exhibition, was very translucent and 
several kinds were also resonant. In fact, the Ting yao, or 
Ting ware, was father to our white porcelain. It was covered 
with a softer, thicker, and less transparent glaze than the 
colorless, watery glaze of the later porcelains and therefore it 
is often called soft paste, a misleading and erroneous name. 
Soft paste or -pate tendre is artificial porcelain made in Europe 
before Boetger in 1709 found the means of making real porce- 
lain with kaolinic earth. Real soft paste, requiring less fir- 
ing and for that reason fit to be decorated with tender colors 
which do not stand the full heat of the kiln, was never made 
in China. What is called Chinese soft paste is a later product 
of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, where the porce- 
lain earth was mixed with, or sometimes covered with, a 
thin coat of steatitic earth in order that a coating of thicker, 
more opaque glaze might be applied. The fact that the glaze 
was not homogeneous with the earth caused the crackle which 
in most cases is characteristic of this soft paste, more properly 
called steatitic porcelain, and which is often a charm of this 
dainty ware. 

The earliest ware which we know in China was made in the 
Han period, 206 B.C.-220 A.D., earthenware covered with 
a green or thin yellow glaze, sometimes slightly baked without 

[xiv] 



INTRODUCTION 

any glaze at all. The tomb figures shown in our exhibition are 
of this period and are chiefly chosen for their extraordinary 
sculptural beauty. Allied to the best Greek archaic works, 
they form the link between pottery and sculpture. 

Chinese ceramic art developed gradually; in the T'ang 
period, the time when all the arts flourished in China as hardly 
ever afterward, the noblest forms were made, but technically, 
the ceramic art reached its highest point under the Sung. In 
Shosoin, the famous storehouse in Nara, where after the 
death of the Japanese Emperor Shomu, in 749 A.D., all his 
personal belongings and treasures were religiously kept and 
for the greater part are still housed, we find hard pottery 
covered with green and orange glazes in patches like the 
eighteenth-century egg-and-spinach ware, or decorated with 
beautiful formal patterns in blue, green, and yellow glazes on 
an unglazed ground. This enables us to date with certainty 
the similar pieces of T'ang pottery lately brought to light by 
the opening of early tombs in China. We show several of 
these pieces and among them a charming vase of pure classic 
lines, thinly potted and translucent, a masterpiece of the 
potter's art, which shows the extraordinary height of crafts- 
manship at this early age. 

To this period, also, are ascribed certain life-size pottery 
figures of Lohans, of which a series has been lately brought 
over from China, some of which can be seen in different 
museums. We regret that one of these, acquired by our 
Museum in Berlin, owing to the present difficulties of trans- 
port cannot be shown. Small figures of the same class are 
represented and also a beautiful pair of clasped hands. 
Because their early date is contested by some authorities, we 
are glad to offer this opportunity for comparison and contro- 
versy, hoping thus to further the knowledge on the subject. 

In the Sung period we begin to hear of different famous 
kilns. First and foremost, the legendary Ch'ai and Ju wares 
which already in the sixteenth century were said to have dis- 
appeared. Fortunately, a Chinese officer who accompanied 

[XV] 



INTRODUCTION 

an embassy to Corea in 1125, gives a description of the 
pottery he saw there, in which he says it resembles in 
color the famous Ju. For that reason we have shown some of 
the Corean pottery, found in tombs of the Korai period, of the 
very kind that the Chinese officer saw, in order to give an 
idea of what this beautiful, thinly potted Ju yao was. Some 
day examples of these early wares may be brought to light 
or discovered in existing collections; for the present, only 
pieces answering more or less to the old descriptions can be 
tentatively so ascribed. In our exhibition we do not show 
any of these. 

The Ting yao, 2. white, creamy pottery with an exquisite 
soft glaze, apart from the differences of Northern and South- 
ern Ting, tu Ting and fen Ting (for which I refer to Mrs. 
Williams's article), can be divided into four different classes. 
First, the real Ting, a hard, grayish white ware covered with 
a thick, soft, white glaze, plain or decorated with a moulded 
design. Then a grayer ware covered with a white slip before 
the unctuous white glaze was applied. The slip is a white 
earth of the nature of pipe-clay, made liquid by the addition 
of water, in which the raw pot is dipped after having been 
dried, the object being to whiten the clay where it might shine 
through the glaze. Then there is the crackled Ting ware, 
called Kiangnan ware, for convenience' sake, after R. L. 
Hobson, in his excellent book on Chinese Pottery and Porce- 
lain, had suggested that such ware might have been made in 
Kiangnan. Fourth, I mention under the same heading the 
white Corean ware. One of the objects of this exhibition is, 
as I said before, to throw light on hitherto contested or dark 
points, and this is one of them. 

There are those who in their great admiration of everything 
Chinese cannot admit the ability of other and contemporary 
potters. They claim therefore that the white Corean Ting 
ware found abundantly in Corean graves of the Korai period, 
that is, from before 1392, when Sungdo, the old capital of 
Corea, was destroyed, must have been of Chinese make im- 

[xvi] 



INTRODUCTION 

ported into Corea. The letter of the Chinese officer of the 
year 1125, quoted before, uncomfortably contradicts their 
statement, because he writes: "They have, besides, bowls, 
platters, wine-cups and cups, flower vases and soup bowls, 
all closely copying the style and make of Ting ware. Only the 
wine-pots present novel features." The Japanese authorities 
also have always claimed that white Corean ware had been 
made, and though they say that the difference cannot be 
described, they still assert that to the connoisseur the differ- 
ence is discernible. This difference is certainly not easy to 
discern and for this reason we offer comparison. Certain 
Corean white ware not of the finest quality has a distinct 
green tinge where the glaze runs thick, which seems char- 
acteristic, especially as much later and even quite late Corean 
ware shows the same transparent green glaze. Some more 
common Chinese pottery and some ware of the T'ang period 
exhibited here certainly show the same glaze, especially 
where white slip was used, and the same difficulty of differ- 
entiation exists. 

Ting ware of the most beautiful kind comes extraordinarily 
near our standard of real porcelain, and is particularly well 
potted and very translucent. I want to draw particular 
attention in this respect to a delightful bowl, thin and graceful, 
of very early date, and of eggshell fineness, a masterpiece of 
the potter's art, and also to the seated figure of an Empress, 
the forerunner of the so-called blanc de Chine figures made 
at a later date in Fukien. This later Fukien or Chien ware, 
not to be confused with the Sung Chien ware called Temmoku 
in Japan, has followed the traditions of the Ting yao up to the 
present day. Its soft and creamy glaze reminds one of the 
European soft-paste porcelain. On the other hand, the very 
white, transparent Ting gradually developed into the real 
porcelain of the Ming and later periods. 

Another kind of pottery, very nearly related to the Ting yaOy 
is the Tz'u-chou yao. Its characteristic is a black or dark 
brown decoration in bold lines and beautiful drawing, though 

[ xvii ] 



INTRODUCTION 

other decorations frequently occur through the most varied 
and clever use of the shp already referred to. We show 
different specimens where the shp has been incised in bold 
patterns or cut away revealing the darker ground under- 
neath, or where the white glaze has been replaced by a dark 
brown or black glaze treated in the same way, incised or 
cut away, leaving the bare paste visible in places. 

Special attention should be given to a very rare and early 
gray pot with an incised ornament filled in with white slip un- 
der a transparent glaze. This possibly unique jar forms the 
link with another well-known Corean ware, also with an incised 
design filled with white slip and covered with a transparent 
green glaze. On the origin of this particular Corean ware 
fortunately the authorities agree, but its Chinese prototype 
was up to now unknown. 

Just as the black and white Tz'u-chou ware was a fore- 
runner of the later decorated porcelain, the colored Tz'u- 
chou ware was the forerunner of the later famille verte and all 
the porcelains decorated in the muffle stove. The process of 
the mufifie stove is the decoration with enamel colors on 
pottery or porcelain baked and glazed in the strong fire of 
the kiln. These colors could not stand great heat and were 
therefore refired in a much gentler heat sufficient to make them 
adhere to the original glaze. 

Our exhibition shows a certain number of pieces decorated 
in green and yellow enamels and iron red, which should not 
be confused with the Tz'u-chou pieces, decorated with red 
slip, which produces a duller color. Though enamel colors 
appear already on T'ang pottery (see No. 6), the technique 
is not identical, as there the colors were applied to unglazed 
or slightly glazed pottery and the whole piece did not require 
great firing, thus forming a ware more closely related to the 
later enamels on biscuit of the late Ming and K'ang-hsi periods. 

If I may be pardoned for introducing all these technical 
questions and comparisons with later developments, I should 
like to point out here the relation to later ware of two delight- 

[ xviii ] 



INTRODUCTION 

ful Sung pieces, one a vase with dragons in relief in different 
colors on a black ground, the other a finely modeled small 
black vase with a beautiful greenish yellow showing inside. 
These rare pieces of a kind difficult to class seem the fore- 
runners of the later pieces fired in the temperate kiln {au petit 
feu), where the colors are not applied in a second firing, but the 
whole piece, colors and all, is fired at once in a temperate fire. 

The subject of colored glazes naturally leads us to the chief 
attraction of this exhibition, the Chiin yao. We have the 
good fortune of being able to show a more comprehensive 
collection than has ever been brought together, where the 
rarer kind, especially the tzu t'ai, or porcelanous ware, is 
splendidly represented. In Mrs. Williams's article it is clearly 
explained that the Chiin yao, the ware made in Chiin-chou 
during the period of Northern Sung, is divided into two very 
different kinds, the tzu t'ai or hard paste and the sha t'ai or 
sandy paste. The fact is that these two kinds have little in 
common except their great beauty. A third kind, commonly 
called Yuan tzu, of later date, is related to both, as its name 
implies. It has the appearance of the first, the more sandy, 
though darker clay of the second. In color it is generally more 
charming than beautiful, lacking the severe style of the earlier 
ware. 

The fact that the first-mentioned Chiin, the tzu t'ai, is so 
perfect in workmanship has long caused these pieces to be 
regarded as of later date. Comparison with Ming pieces and 
historical evidence have, however, satisfactorily proved their 
extreme age. They were made for use rather than simply 
for decoration, and though part of them were made with 
tribute clay and for imperial use, in a time when taste and 
skill were of such high standing as under the Sung dynasty, 
they were outclassed by the older and much admired Jwares 
of Ch'ai, Yu, and even Northern Ting. These have un- 
fortunately disappeared long since, and where comparison 
failed the tz'u fat came to its rights. It certainly is now the 
rarest and most sought after of early Chinese wares. The 

[xix] 



INTRODUCTION 

pieces owe their delightfully varied colors to the presence of 
copper oxide in the glaze which, according to the heat of the 
kiln and the accidents of more or less air, becomes blue and 
purple till brilliant red comes to the surface and again dis- 
appears, and becomes green and dull in over-fired pieces. 
For this reason the brilliant red, the color of roses or 
rouge, is the most appreciated. In later times the air in the 
kiln was artificially regulated by drafts or by the letting in 
of smoke to produce the flambe colors, while in the early 
kilns the effect was so-called natural, certainly not so easily 
obtained, but if successful more beautiful. That in later times 
not only the color and the shape of the color splashes could 
be determined, but designs even could be produced is curiously 
proved by a bowl of the late Sung or Yiian period which is 
shown. Two Chinese letters, chun shin, meaning "purity of 
heart," are clearly visible and can hardly be attributed to 
chance. By what means, however, this was done I am not 
prepared to say. It is easy to trace in the existing specimens 
the gradual evolution of this process which ended in the loud 
colors of the eighteenth-century flambes. The great variety 
of effects of firing on the glaze is curiously shown by the olive- 
colored rims and the bases, always covered with a thin olive 
wash. Where the glaze ran thin at the rims and was applied 
thinly on the bases, the color disappeared, and left an olive- 
brown, except in rare patches accidentally of greater thick- 
ness, a fact which can be noted in all modern kilns where it 
is well known that any glaze to produce the desired color has 
to be applied thickly. The hard Chiin invariably shows 
under the foot an incised number under the glaze, ranging 
from one to ten, sometimes with the additional letter daiy 
meaning "great." Different theories about the meaning of 
these numbers exist; the most likely is that they indicated 
the size, one standing for the largest. 

The Chien ware, chiefly represented by tea bowls, known in 
Japan as Temmoku, is related to the famous hard Chiin in 
so far as it shows in its best specimens the same streaky flecks 

[XX] 



INTRODUCTION 

of color which seem to float in the thick glaze. In this case, 
however, the glaze is intensely black with silvery or brown 
hues which have been compared to hare's fur. The clay is, 
however, very different, black and thick, a porous mass which 
has the quality of retaining the heat for a long time, for which 
reason the Temmoku bowls are much appreciated in Japan 
for the tea ceremony. Lately, similar bowls of much lighter 
clay have been found in Honan, some similar to the Chien 
ware, some flecked or coffee brown, some even with designs of 
leaves or dragons. We show several of different varieties. 

A few words about the Lung-ch'iian ware or celadon remain 
to be said. The celadons have long been considered the 
earliest wares made in China. They were perhaps the earliest 
pieces of porcelanous ware; it is certain they were the first 
pieces that reached Europe. The Warham bowl treasured 
in Oxford in a silver-gilt mount was bequeathed in 1530, and 
before that dishes presented to Lorenzo de' Medici in 1487 
were considered marvels ; but, after all, they dated only from 
the end of the Yiian period or later. The fact is that the early 
mythical wares of Ch'ai and Ju were of the celadon type. 
According to Chinese description, they were the color of the 
sky after rain, which is a decidedly greenish blue or blue- 
green. They may have been extremely popular because they 
resembled green jade; certainly at all times Chinese potters 
have striven to reproduce this color, and in the eighteenth 
century with considerable success. The celadons known in 
western countries till not very long ago were mostly of moss- 
green hue and rarely bluish in color. They were the heavily 
potted types, made for export all over the world, some early, 
but mostly of the Yiian and early Ming periods. In Japan 
some rare Sung pieces of beautiful texture and light blue- 
green color were treasured, but only lately the early Chinese 
pieces have reached us, partly from tomb finds, partly from 
excavations made on the sites of the Lung-ch'iian kilns where 
wasters of beautiful color and great thinness were found. They 
are of light grayish white porcelanous clay covered with a 

[xxi] 



INTRODUCTION 

very transparent blue-green glaze, though some range to 
warmer green and even brown. It is among these bluish hues 
that we must look for the early Ch'ai and Ju yaos. Our much- 
quoted Chinese officer who went to Corea in the Sung time 
compares these to the Corean celadons; for this reason we 
included Corean wares of this period. The great difference 
between these several kinds seems to have been the quality 
of the earth, which in some cases contained more iron and 
in consequence reddened in the kiln or even turned quite 
dark where exposed to the more or less direct heat of the fire, 
while in the early times it is probable also that the natural 
presence of iron in the glaze produced the green color. 



[ xxii ] 



CHINESE AND COREAN POTTERIES 

A LTHOUGH for a long time past a few far-seeing and 
/ \ tasteful collectors have been gathering in all the chance 
X \. specimens of early pottery and porcelain which have 
strayed from China, it is only in quite recent years that a 
widespread movement has been apparent in Europe and 
America in favour of the earlier phases of Chinese art; and 
nothing could be more symptomatic of this movement than 
the opening of an exhibition in which the Chinese section 
consists entirely of Sung and Yiian types. ^ 

The circumstances which have made such an exclusive ex- 
hibition possible are in themselves interesting. The growing 
desire among Western collectors to possess examples of the 
beautiful Sung wares, and the consequently enhanced prices 
which these wares now command, have created a good market 
for them outside of China; and the demand has come at a 
time when the conditions prevailing in China, regrettable 
as they are from so many points of view, have set free a 
supply of keramic rarities which have been hitherto jealously 
guarded. At the same time our knowledge of the wares them- 
selves has been greatly augmented by the finds of early pottery 
and porcelain in the ground which railway construction has 
chanced to disturb. Consequently there has been a steady 
stream of early wares leaving China in the last few years, 
potteries coarse and refined, grave-goods and collectors' 

1 This article by Mr. R. L. Hobson, printed as an introduction to the Chinese 
section of the catalogue of the Japan Society's exhibition of 1914, is here reprinted 
in exactly the same form. 

[ xxiii ] 



CHINESE AND COREAN POTTERIES 

masterpieces, all of them attractive for aesthetic or anti- 
quarian reasons. Indeed, it is surprising how few of these old 
potteries, even of the roughest of them, are devoid of aesthetic 
appeal; while of the true representations of the Sung pottery 
words are impotent to describe the subtle beauty and charm. 

They are true children of the potter's art, reflecting in their 
strong but graceful contours, in the skilful finish of their simple 
forms, the loving touch of a master hand. They are clothed 
in the purest of keramic adornments — glaze, and in most 
cases glaze alone. Sometimes decoration in relief (carved, 
applied, or pressed out by moulds), or in fine, firm lines traced 
with a metal point, is added, true keramic methods which 
consist of adding or subtracting clay and clay. Even when 
the adventitious aid of the painter's brush is requisitioned, 
the pigment used is almost always a coloured clay. 

But the outstanding feature of the Sung and Yiian wares 
is the beautiful colour which pervades the glaze, — colour due 
in part to infinitesimal quantities of iron and copper oxides 
transformed by the magic of the fire into innumerable shades 
of green and brown, crimson and purple, turquoise and even 
black, but due perhaps more especially to opalescence, the 
happy accident of an immature technique in which the thick, 
slow-flowing, irregular glaze, full of minute bubbles and pin- 
holes, breaks up the light as it receives it into unimagined 
combinations of prismatic colours. This is the secret of the 
ever-changing tints of the Chiin ware, to which age has added 
a further charm by investing the surface of the glaze with a 
faint iridescent lustre. 

Add to these the smooth soft green of the celadon and the 
refined ivory and waxen whites of the Ting wares, and the 
growing admiration for the early Chinese potteries needs no 
further explanation. Indeed, the colours of the Sung and 
Yiian glazes are the most subtle and at the same time the most 
sensuous in the whole range of keramic art. 

Nor is this all. Compared with later Chinese porcelains, 
the early wares have the advantage of appealing more strongly 

[ xxiv ] 



CHINESE AND COREAN POTTERIES 

to the sporting instinct at the back of every collector's mind. 
The former are well known and easily placed, and they can 
be acquired without difficulty by those who have the means. 
The latter are still rare enough to require hunting, and they 
are a difficult, elusive, and often dangerous quarry worthy 
of a true collector's steel. The knowledge of them has only 
just begun: there are new fields to be explored and fresh 
discoveries to be made. At present we have tasted just 
enough of their quality to make our appetite insatiable. 

As to their classification, it is still largely tentative and must 
remain so until systematic excavation is made and literary 
evidence is supplemented by spade-work. One type of Chiin 
ware, for instance, is clearly established; but the same name 
is used to cover other large groups, one of which, called 
*'soft Chiin" in the catalogue, differs widely in its buff-red 
paste and crystalline glaze from the traditional Chiin type. 
One or two kinds of Ko ware are recognised, while others and 
the cognate Kuan wares are still conjectural and as misty as 
the smooth lavender-grey glaze which I have tentatively 
associated with the name of Kuan in the descriptions. The 
typical Lung-ch'iian celadon is well known, but there are many 
other celadons awaiting identification; and the same partial 
recognition has been reached in the large group of Ting wares. 
There is, in fact, abundant scope for research and discovery. 

Literary evidence has been our mainstay hitherto, and the 
results, though incomplete, are not altogether negligible. 
A single instance will serve to illustrate its value and at the 
same time to introduce the Corean wares which are described 
in another section of the catalogue. Hsii-ching was an officer 
in the suite of Lu Yun-t'i, who went on an embassy to Corea 
in 1 125, and among the notes which he made on that country 
are the following instructive paragraphs: 

"The wares of Kao-li (Corea) which are green {chHng) in 
colour are described as fei (kingfisher) by the people of the 
country. In recent times the fashion of these wares has been 
clever, and the colour and glaze even better (than the form). 

[ XXV ] 



CHINESE AND COREAN POTTERIES 

The shape of the wine pots is like a gourd, with small cover 
on the top in the form of a duck squatting on a lotus flower. 
They have, besides, bowls (wan), platters {tHeh), wine cups 
{fei) and (tea) cups (ow), flower vases and soup bowls {t*ang 
chan), all closely copying the style and make of Ting ware. 
. . . Only the wine pots present novel features. 

**In Kao-li the drinking vessels and dishes for the banquet 
table are mostly of gilt metal or silver, but green pottery 
vessels are also highly prized. There are, besides, lion {suan i) 
incense-burners which are dXsofei colour. The creature squats 
on top of the vessel, supported by an upturned lotus. Of all 
the wares, only these are of exceeding excellence. The rest 
have a general resemblance to the old pise (secret colour) 
ware of Yiieh-chou and the recent wares of Ju-chou." 

As we are quite familiar with the Corean celadon, we obtain 
from this last passage a clear hint as to the nature of two rare 
Chinese wares. 

R. L. HoBsoN. 



XXV i ] 



LIST OF CHINESE DYNASTIES 



Shang Dynasty . 
Chou Dynasty . 
Shin Dynasty 
Han Dynasty 
Wei Dynasty 
The Six Dynasties 
T'ang Dynasty . 
The Five Dynasties 
Sung Dynasty 
Yiian Dynasty . 
Ming Dynasty . 
Ch'ing Dynasty 



206 



1767-1122 B. C. 
1122-256 B. C. 

256-206 B. C. 
B. C.-220 A. D. 

220-265 A. D. 

265-618 A. D. 

618-906 A. D. 

906-960 A. D. 

960-1280 A. D. 

1280-1368 A. D. 

1368-1644 A. D. 

1644-1912 A. D. 



[ XXV ii ] 



CATALOGUE 



CATALOGUE 

T'ANG PERIOD 

Vase in the shape of a pilgrim bottle with broad foot, low neck, 
and two handles. Decorated with a classic-looking design of 
two dragons; light whitish buff ware covered with a trans- 
parent, iridescent glaze, finely crackled. 
T'ang dynasty. 
H. 7^in. D. 6>^in. 

Vase in the shape of a pilgrim bottle with broad foot, low neck, 

and two handles. Decorated with a classic-looking design of a 

phoenix between grape vines; light buff clay covered with a 

brown glaze mottled with greenish black. 

T'ang dynasty. 

H. 8Hin. D. 7Xin. 

Vase with globular body, flaring mouth, spreading foot, 
and two small handles. Of classical purity of design and evi- 
dently strongly influenced by early Greek art. Very fine white 
paste covered with a thin, transparent glaze which has almost 
entirely disappeared, and decorated with a raised and impressed 
ornament of leaves and formal branches. 
T'ang dynasty. 
H. 4 in. D. 4^ in. 

Vase with graceful ovoid body, wide mouth with low rim, and 
small base. Thin and highly translucent porcelanous ware 
which seems almost bodiless. The glaze is of dehcate pearly 
gray tint, crackled, and faintly clouded with minute brown 
specks. The base, which is only partially covered with glaze, 
shows a white body rough with kiln-sand. 

[3] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

The form of this exquisite vase is Grecian, and it is probably 
the earliest piece of translucent porcelain as yet published. 
Sung dynasty or earlier. 
H. 3>^ in. D. 3^ in. 

5 Vase of baluster form with high shoulders and small, spreading 
neck. Of buff-colored soft clay covered with brown-black 
glaze, finely crackled, leaving the clay to show through in a 
design of flowering plum branches. 

Tz'ii-chou type: T'ang dynasty. 
H. 7 in. D. 5 in. 

6 Dish on three feet. Of whitish buff paste covered with thin, 
finely crackled greenish glaze, decorated in the center with an 
incised pattern filled in with blue, green, and yellow enamels. 
T'ang dynasty. 

H. lyi in. D. ii5< in. 

7 Incense-burner on three feet. Hard buff paste, the upper 
part covered with white slip and a finely crackled, transparent 
glaze with splashes of blue and yellow, making a formal pattern. 
T'ang dynasty. 

H. 4^in. D. 6^ in. 

8 Pot of globular form and short, wide lip with two handles in 
the shape of animals, intended to hold rings. Hard buff paste, 
the upper part covered with thin white slip and a thin, trans- 
parent glaze splashed with blue and green enamels. Six 
moulded medallions covered with green and yellow enamels 
have been applied around the neck and body. 

T'ang dynasty. 

H. jys in. D. 7 in. 

9 Vase with two handles in the shape of dragons. Light buff 
paste, the upper part covered with green and orange finely 
crackled glaze. 

T'ang dynasty. 

H. I3>^in. D. 7J^in. 

lO Small tomb pillow of so-called agate ware, composed of layers 
of yellowish white and brown clay; in places covered with the 
remains of a thin, transparent glaze. 
T'ang dynasty. 
H. 2>^in. D. 4>< in. 

[4I 



T'ANG PERIOD 

1 1 Globular pot with wide, low neck. Decorated with an incised 
formal pattern in four bands. The incised design has been 
inlaid with white slip; the neck and inside are covered with the 
same slip. A thin, transparent glaze covers the entire surface 
and ends in an irregular hne near the foot. This vase is inter- 
esting as the prototype of the technique used by the Coreans 
in their decoration of Korai celadons. 

T'ang dynasty. 
H. 5 in. D. 5>^ in. 

12 Bulbous vase with low, spreading neck, of light, reddish buff 
clay covered with white slip and carved in a pattern of flower- 
ing branches; about the neck a band of conventional leaves. 
Covered with a thin, transparent glaze mostly deteriorated. 
Tz'u-chou type: T'ang dynasty. 

H. 5>^ in. D. 6 in, 

13 Vase with oviform body, spreading neck, and broad foot; 
neck broken off. Soft white paste covered with white, orange, 
and green glaze in patches. Decorated with a formal design of 
phoenix between iris flowers and on the reverse a huntsman 
surrounded by the same formal design. 

T'ang dynasty. 

H. g^ in. D. SK'in. 

14 Incense-burner on five legs resting on a ring. Buff" paste cov- 
ered with white, green, and orange glaze in patches, egg and 
spinach pattern. 

T'ang dynasty. 
H. 4X in. D. 6 in. 

15 Ewer with handle, in the shape of two dragons drinking and a 
spout in the shape of a bird's head. Hard buff^ paste covered 
with finely crackled green glaze. 

T'ang dynasty. 

H. i8>^in. D. 9in. 

16 Vase with pear-shaped body, long neck, and flaring, scalloped 
lip. Decorated with bands of flower scrolls and long leaves 
about the bottom and neck. The paste is Hght gray, burned 
reddish in firing; very light in weight. Transparent glaze, 
finely crackled, green where it has run thick. 

T'ang dynasty. 

H. I3>^ in. D. 5 in. 

[5] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

17 Vase with pear-shaped body, and spreading, scalloped mouth. 
Light buflP paste covered with white glaze over which is a yellow 
glaze, of which only traces remain except inside the mouth. 
T'ang dynasty. 

H. I2>^ in. D. 5 in. 

1 8 Vase in the shape of a bronze with globular body, long neck, and 
high foot. Light buff clay reddened in the firing and covered 
with transparent, crackled greenish glaze. 

T'ang dynasty. 

H. 9>^ in. D. sX in. 

19 Pear-shaped vase with slightly spreading neck decorated with a 
band of flower scrolls and long leaves round the bottom. Light 
buff ware burned red, light in weight, and covered with trans- 
parent, finely crackled glaze turned green where it has run 
thick. The paste has burnt red in the design, where the glaze 
is thin. 

T'ang dynasty. 
H. 9 in. D. 5 in. 

20 Small, pear-shaped vase on a high foot, with wide mouth, and a 
pierced design of lotus flowers, the bottom covered with lotus 
leaves. Light buff clay, light in weight, burned brown, and 
covered with minutely crackled, transparent glaze. 

T'ang dynasty. 
H. 4^ in. D. 3 in. 

21 Small, octagonal, pear-shaped vase with short neck. Light 
gray clay burned brown; decorated with eight panels filled 
with flower scrolls and covered with greenish transparent 
glaze. 

T'ang dynasty. 

H. 6^ in. D. 3H in. 

22 Small bowl of conical shape with rounded sides. Hard, grayish 
buff ware covered with a thin, transparent glaze, crackled and 
water stained. 

Kiangnan type: T'ang dynasty. 
H. i^in. D. 4]4in. 

[6] 



T'ANG PERIOD 

23 Small box of light, reddish bufF clay covered with a regular 
design in white, orange, blue, and green glazes. 

T'ang dynasty. 

H. i>^ in. D. 3K in. 

24 Small figure of a sitting Lohan of light-colored bufF clay. The 
hands and garments are covered with yellow, green, and white 
glaze, finely crackled and in patches. The face and chest are 
left unglazed. 

T'ang dynasty. 

H. 6}i in. D. 4 in. 

25 Miniature vase of baluster shape with two scroll handles. 
Fine bufF ware covered with a white slip and a green, finely 
crackled glaze; ornamented in brown pigment with a sketchy 
drawing of an iris in a flower pot, and partly covered with an 
orange-yellow sediment. 

T'ang dynasty. 
H. 4 in. 

26 Miniature vase of baluster shapewithtwosmall handles moulded 
in the shape of masks and rings. Covered with a white slip and 
a yellow, finely crackled glaze; decorated with splashes of 
green, yellow, and red enamel suggesting a flower. 

T'ang dynasty. 
H. 4 in. 



[7 



TING WARE 

27 Globular vase with long neck decorated with two bands of 
raised key pattern. Finely crackled white glaze over hard 
porcelanous ware. 

Kiangnan ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 16 J^ in. D. ii>^ in. 

28 Vase with graceful ovoid body and small mouth. Translucent 
porcelanous ware with ivory-white glaze, clouded in parts with 
smoky brown stains. 

Probably made at Ching-te-chen : Sung dynasty. 
H. 73^ in. D. 6><in. 

29 Vase with slender ovoid body and high, narrow neck with 
flaring mouth. Hard buff-white ware with a wheel-made band 
on the shoulder and on the neck. Creamy glaze of uneven flow, 
flawed in places and stained by age. 

T'u Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 21 in. D. 7>^ in. 

30 Pot of globular form with wide, straight, short neck; of hard 
buff ware covered with a creamy white glaze. 

T'u Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 5 in. D. 5>^in. 

31 Vase with slender, pear-shaped body and tall, tapering neck, 
slightly spreading at the mouth. Reddish buff stoneware with 
creamy glaze having fine "fish-roe" crackle, faintly tinged with 
brown. 

Probably Sung ware of the Ting class, made in the Kiangnan 

factories. 

H. 18X in. D. 7 in. 

[8] 



TING WARE 

32 Vase with graceful ovoid body, short contracted neck, and 
flanged mouth, the hne being broken at the shoulder by a 
slightly raised ridge and three wheel-made bands incised. 
White porcelanous ware with ivory-white glaze and a few faint 
brownish "tear-stains" : flat base beveled at the edge. 

Ting, probably Ching-te-chen ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 13 in. D. 7>^ in. 

33 Sprinkler of bronze form. Ovoid body, slender neck, and 
flange projecting at the top, ending in a fine point. Small 
spout with cup-shaped mouth. White porcelanous ware with 
creamy glaze. 

T'u Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 8^in. D. 4 in. 

34 Vase with oval, melon-shaped body and high neck, with flaring 
mouth and low foot. Gray-bufF ware covered with white slip 
and thick creamy glaze. Rim fitted with copper band. 

T'u Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 8%'in. D. 4i^in. 

35 Vase with graceful ovoid body and short, narrow neck with 
spreading mouth. Reddish bufF stoneware with a solid, smooth 
white glaze of ivory tone faintly browned by age. The glaze 
is minutely crackled and has the texture and lustre of an egg. 
Ting type, probably made at Tz'u-chou or in one of the Shansi 
factories: Sung dynasty or earlier. 

H. i^}i in. D. 7^2 in. 

36 and 37 A pair of conical bowls with small foot and straight sides, 

the mouth rim bare and fitted with a silver band. Hard bufF- 
white ware with Hghtly moulded ornament under a warm, 
creamy glaze which is irregularly crackled. Inside is a lotus 
flower at the bottom and a design of flowering lotuses growing 
up the sides, edged with a band of key-fret, called "cloud and 
thunder" pattern by the Chinese. 
T'u Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3^in. D. 7^in. 

38 Bowl of wide conical form with straight sides and small foot. 
Hard buflF-white ware with ornament moulded in low relief 
under a creamy white glaze, slightly crackled on the exterior. 

[9] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

The mouth rim is bare and fitted with a silver band. Inside is a 
lotus flower at the bottom and a design of three fish among 
lotuses and aquatic plants on the sides, edged with a band of 
key-fret or "cloud and thunder" pattern. 
T'u Ting ware: Yiian dynasty. 
H. 3Xin. D. 8 in. 

39 Conical bowl with straight sides. Inside decorated with design 
of chrysanthemums and at the center the symbol yin-yang. 
Hard white ware with beautiful thin, whiteglaze, unintentionally 
crackled. The mouth rim is bare and fitted with a metal band. 
T'u Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 3 in. D. 7 in. 

40 Bowl of conical form with small foot and gently curving sides. 
Hard buff-white ware with ornament strongly etched with a 
pointed instrument under a soft, yellowish glaze minutely 
crackled and clouded with a light, smoky brown stain: the 
mouth rim unglazed and fitted with a copper band. Inside, a 
lotus flower at the bottom and lotus scrolls in archaic design on 
the sides. 

T'u Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3>^in. D. 6in. 

41 Flat dish of white-buff paste with creamy white glaze. Deco- 
rated with moulded design, a goose among flowers with border of 
phoenixes and chrysanthemums between a double border of 
"cloud and thunder" pattern. Unintentionally crackled. 

Pai Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2]4 in- D. ii>^ in. 

42 Vase, bottle-shaped with depressed globular body and tall, 
slender neck with a ten-lobed bulb at the mouth. Dense buff 
stoneware with creamy crackled glaze clouded with dull red- 
dish brown stains. Etched ornament consisting of five bats 
(emblems of the five blessings) among ju-i cloud scrolls. A 
border of gadroons and of key-fret at the junction of shoulder 
and neck, and a band of stiff plantain leaves on the neck. 

The tvufu, or five blessings, are Riches, Happiness, Longevity, 
Peace and Tranquillity, and An End Crowning the Life. 
T'u Ting ware: Yiian dynasty. 
H. 12 in. D. 8X in. 

[10] 



TING WARE 

43 Vase with ovoid body, short contracted neck, and spreading 
mouth. Reddish brown stoneware with thick cream glaze 
shading off into faint brown in places, and lightly stained here 
and there with purple. Crackled glaze. The ornament is bor- 
rowed from an antique bronze, and consists of a belt of key- 
fret and k'uei dragon pattern outlined in low relief, and a band 
of round-headed studs on the shoulder. 

Probably made in the province of Kiangnan: Sung dynasty. 
H. lyH in- D. loX in. 

44 Beaker-shaped vase of bronze form, white porcelanous ware 
covered with yellowish, finely crackled glaze. 

Kiangnan ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. i8>^ in. D. 6}i in. 

45 Vase with broad, pear-shaped body, short neck, and wide, 
spreading mouth. Reddish brown stoneware with closely 
crackled cream glaze, stained by age and corrugated under the 
base. The form and ornament are taken from an antique 
bronze, and the latter consists of a belt of k'uei dragon-fret, a 
border o^ ju-i heads on the neck, and a band of studs on the 
lower part of the body. 

Probably made in the province of Kiangnan: Sung dynasty. 
H. 9^ in. D. loin. 

46 Vase with tall, slender body gently rounded at the shoulders, 
neck cut off, and wide mouth. Buff-white stoneware with 
yellowish creamy glaze closely crackled in "fish-roe" pattern 
and clouded with brown stains. The surface is uneven like 
orange peel. 

Ting type, probably made in the province of Kiangnan: Yiian 

dynasty. 

H. 191^ in. D. 5^ in. 

47 Vase with slender ovoid body, short contracted neck, and 
spreading mouth. Reddish brown stoneware. The glaze has a 
rough granular surface, usually compared with that of an ostrich 
egg. Inside the mouth the granulations are exaggerated and 
the glaze has a shark-skin texture. The ornament is borrowed 
from an antique bronze, and consists of a belt of key-fret and 
k'uei dragon pattern outlined in low relief, and a band of 
round-headed studs on the shoulder. 

[II] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

Probably made in the province of Kiangnan: Sung dynasty. 
H. 17^ in. D. loX in. 

48 Basin of conical form with gently curving sides and small foot. 
Hard bufF-white ware with ornament moulded in low relief 
under a faintly crackled glaze of warm cream color. The 
mouth rim is bare and fitted with a metal band. In the center 
is a fish and on the sides a design of fishes among lotuses and 
aquatic plants. 

T'u Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3^in. D. 9X in. 

49 Vase of slender ovoid form with short neck and small mouth. 
Hard white ware with faintly crackled cream glaze which has 
flowed unevenly in fight brownish "tear-stains." Through the 
glaze dimly appears a formal lotus scroll freely incised and 
covering the whole surface. 

T'u Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 123^ in. D. 5^ in. 

50 Basin of conical form with gently curving sides and small foot. 
Hard bufF-white ware with ornament moulded in low relief 
under a faintly crackled glaze of warm cream color. The 
mouth rim is bare and fitted with a silver band. In the center 
is a fish, and on the sides a design of three fishes among lotuses 
and aquatic plants, bordered by a band of key-fret or "cloud 
and thunder" pattern. 

T'u Ting ware: Sung or Yiian dynasty. 
H. 4.}i in. D. 13 >^ in. 

51 Vase with slender ovoid body and small neck with flanged 
mouth. Buff^ stoneware with white slip coating which reaches 
almost to the base, and a colorless glaze. The surface is 
minutely crackled and has the soHd ivory-white appearance of 
the choicest Satsuma ware. 

Probably made in the province of Shansi: Sung dynasty or 

earlier. 

H. 9^ in. D. 5 in. 

52 Basin of conical form with gently curving sides and small foot. 
Hard buff'-white ware with ornament moulded in low relief 
under a faintly crackled glaze of warm cream color. The 

[12] 



TING WARE 

mouth rim is bare and fitted with a silver band. Chrysanthe- 
mum flowers and leaves on the sides and "cloud and thunder" 
band above. 

T'u Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3>^ in. D. 9K in. 

53 Globular vase with tall, spreading neck and incised pattern of 
flowers and leaves. Gray-buflF ware covered with thick yellow- 
ish glaze. 

Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 13 >^ in. D. 634 in. 

54 Large dish with engraved design of fishes and border of water 
plants. Buft-white ware with thick creamy white glaze, beau- 
tifully crackled. 

Pai Ting ware : Yiian dynasty. 
H. i}4 in. D. io>^ in. 

55 Bowl of conical form with sHghtly rounded sides in the shape of 
a six-petaled flower, decorated with peonies in moulded 
pattern. White porcelanous clay covered with yellowish cream 
glaze showing tear stains on the outside. 

T'u Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2><in. D. 7Xin- 

56 Quadrangular vase of bronze form with wide shoulders, con- 
tracted neck with sides almost straight, and shghtly expanded 
mouth; low, hollow base. Hard buff'-white pottery covered 
with white slip and a sparsely crackled glaze of uneven flow, 
and showing brownish passages where it has run thick. Boldly 
incised ornament consisting of a belt of formal lotus designs 
inclosed by scrolled foHage. Borders of j/'w-i scrolls at the base; 
of false gadroons inclosing cusped ornament on the shoulders; 
and of key-fret or "cloud and thunder" pattern on the neck. 
Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 2oin. D. 14X in. W. of a side, 10 in. 

57 Flask of pilgrim bottle shape. Porcelanous ware with shp 
cover and ornament moulded in low relief under^creamy glaze. 
On each side are dragons and "cloud and thunder" borders. 
T'u Ting ware: Yiian dynasty. 

H. 13K in. D. S}4 in. 

[13] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

58 Vase in form of a flattened, flask-shaped bottle with short, 
straight, round neck and hollow, oval foot. Thin white pottery 
of moderate hardness, with designs moulded in low relief 
under a faintly crackled, yellowish glaze which has flowed 
unevenly here and there and formed in thick patches and 
drops. On one side is a three-clawed, full-face dragon among 
yw-2-shaped clouds and flame scrolls, grasping a "pearl." On 
the other side is a phoenix standing on one leg among ju~i 
clouds. Borders of key-fret or "cloud and thunder" pattern. 
The ju-i ("as you wish") sceptre, which has a head Hke the 
ling-chih fungus, is an auspicious object which brings fulfilment 
of wishes. Conventional cloud scrolls commonly end in a form 
suggesting t\\eju-i head and embodying its auspicious meaning. 
T'u Ting ware: Yiian dynasty. 

H. 14X in. D. 11^ in. 

59 Pilgrim bottle of flattened flask form with two dragon handles 
at the neck. Porcelanous ware with ornament moulded in low 
reHef under a cream-white glaze. On each side are scrolls of 
conventional peonies (the fu kuei flower, symbolizing riches 
and honors) with yw-z-shaped petals in their centers, inclosing 
bats, which are emblems of happiness: borders of key-fret or 
"cloud and thunder" pattern. 

T'u Ting ware: Yiian dynasty. 
H. I2in. D. 8^in. 

60 Bowl with straight flaring sides curving inward toward the foot. 
Porcelanous white ware with creamy greenish white glaze. 
Decorated with flowers in six compartments and border of 
"cloud and thunder" pattern. 

Pai Ting ware: Yiian dynasty. 
H. 2i^in. D. 5>^in. 

61 Bowl of conical form with sHghtly rounded sides. White 
porcelanous ware covered with thin white glaze unintention- 
ally crackled. Decorated with carved lotus flowers. 

Pai Ting type: Yiian dynasty. 
H. 2^in. D. 7>^in. 

62 Bowl of conical form with small foot. Gray porcelanous earth 
covered with a thick, creamy white glaze. Carved ornament of 
lotus flowers. 

T'u Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2 in. D. 8 in. 

[14] 



TING WARE 

63 and 64 A pair of vases of pilgrim bottle shape with moulded 
pattern of dragons. Gray porcelanous ware with thick 
crackled glaze. 

Fen Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 8>^in. D. 6in. 

65 Flat, deep dish with straight border decorated with a moulded 
design of a lion playing with a ball, and floral border. White 
porcelanous ware turned red in firing. Covered with yellow 
glaze. 

T'u Ting type, made at Ching-te-Chen: Yiian dynasty. 
H. 2^in. D.gys'm. 

66 Bowl of conical form with small foot and six-foil mouth rim. 
Slightly translucent porcelain with ivory-white glaze and faint 
brownish "tear-stains." Boldly carved ornament consisting of 
a lotus flower in the bottom and a lotus scroll on the side within 
and without. Metal band on rim. 

T'u Ting ware: Sung dynasty, 
H.Sj4m. D. 3>^in. 

67 Saucer dish with fluted sides and narrow rim with wavy edge. 
Porcelanous ware with ivory-white glaze: moulded design on 
the interior. The unglazed edge is fitted with a copper band. 
In the center is a Buddhistic figure holding over his head a bowl 
of lotuses surrounded by a halo of flames; beside him is a deer, 
the Taoist symbol of longevity, and in the spaces are two bowls 
of growing lotus plants. On the sides are floral sprays repeated 
in each of the flutes, and on the rim is a pattern of overlapping 
leaves. 

Pai Ting ware: Yiian dynasty. 
D. 8^ in. 

68 Dish with narrow, flat rim. Porcelanous ware with ivory-white 
glaze: the edge bare and fitted with a silver band. In the 
center is a beautiful scroll of formalized lotus or peony flowers 
with feathery foliage boldly carved; on the rim is a running 
foliage scroll etched with a point. 

T'u Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
D. 10 in. 

69 Saucer dish with six-lobed edge. Porcelanous ware with 
moulded design in low relief under an ivory-white glaze: "tear- 
stains" on the outside. The mouth rim is unglazed and fitted 

[15] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

with a copper band. Inside is a peony scroll with three semi- 
nude boys among the branches. 
Pai Ting ware: Sung or Yiian dynasty. 
D. 7Kin. 

70 Cup and cover in the shape of a lotus flower. Buff porcelanous 
ware covered with white glaze. 

T'u Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3>^ in. D. 3 in. 

71 Cup with rounded sides on tall foot. White porcelanous earth 
with thin glaze beautifully crackled. 

Kiangnan ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2J4 in. D. sH in. 

72 Six-lobed bowl of white porcelanous earth covered with white 
glaze, green where it has run thick; transparent. 

Pai Ting type: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2}i in. D. 5 in. 

73 Cup-stand of ovoid body on saucer with a high foot. Fine 
porcelanous earth covered with a thin creamy glaze, tear drops 
under the saucer. 

Pai Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3^in. D. 4>^in. 

74 Small bowl of conical form with straight sides. Buff-white ware 
with ornament of archaic lotus flowers moulded in relief be- 
neath a finely crackled yellow glaze. Copper band over 
the mouth rim. 

T'u Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 1}^ in. D. 4 in. 

75 Small bowl with rounded sides. Yellowish white stoneware 
covered with white sHp and a transparent glaze, leaving a ring 
at the bottom of the cup uncovered. 

Ting ware: Yiian dynasty. 
H. i^ in. D. 3K in. 

76 Cup in form of six-petaled flower. Translucent fine white ware 
covered with creamy white glaze. 

Pai Ting type: Sung dynasty. 
H. 124 in. D. 4^ in. 

[16] 



TING WARE 

77 Small bowl with rounded sides, moulded in form of lotus 
flower. White porcelanous ware covered with grayish white 
glaze. Mouth rim fitted with copper band. 

Pai Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. i>^ in. D. 3^ in. 

78 Basin with wide mouth, gently curving sides, and flat base. 
Ivory-white glaze; "tear-marks" on the exterior. The unglazed 
mouth rim is fitted with a silver band. Ornamented with 
boldly carved lotus scrolls inside and out. 

T'u Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 4>^ in. D. 9^ in. 

79 Seated figure of white-buff^ ware covered with yellow glaze. 
Ting ware: Yiian dynasty. 

H. 14 in. D. 9>^ in. 

80 Basin with wide mouth and gently curving sides. Covered with 
ivory-white glaze; unglazed mouth rim fitted with copper 
band. Inside ornamented with boldly carved lotus scrolls. 
T'u Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 4>^ in. D. loX in. 

81-82 Two dishes, small, flat, six-lobed; white porcelanous ware, 
thinly potted, transparent, and covered with unctuous trans- 
parent glaze; fired upside down, rims unglazed. 
Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. yi in. D. 3>^ in. 

83 Ladle, the rim covered with copper. Covered with creamy 
white glaze. 

T'u Ting type: probably Sung dynasty, 
in. 



84 Small vase of globular form with long, straight neck, flaring 
lip, and high foot. On the body are two dancing figures which 
serve as handles; white porcelanous ware covered with a thick 
unctuous glaze. 

Ting ware: attributed to Sung dynasty. 
H. 6 in. D. 3 in. 

[17] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

85 Small pilgrim bottle of bufF-colored stoneware covered with 
white sHp and thick yellowish glaze. Moulded pattern of 
phoenix. 

Fen Ting ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 4>^in. D. 5Xin- 

86 Seated figure of Kuan Yin, in her diadem a small figure of 
Buddha on a lotus. Fine white porcelanous paste covered 
with a transparent crackled glaze. 

Sung dynasty. 

H. 9>^ in. W. 4K^ in. 



[18] 



TZ'U-CHOU WARE 

87 Baluster-shaped vase with small neck. Hard buff ware covered 
with white slip and green transparent glaze. 

Tz'ii-chou type: Sung dynasty. 
H. isH in- D- 7^2 in. 

88 Jar with ovoid body, short neck, and low, cup-shaped mouth. 
Hard buff ware decorated with flowers in white slip under a 
cover of green, finely crackled glaze partly gone and leaving a 
thin, transparent coating. The earth where it is not covered 
with shp shines through gray. Beautiful iridescent spots where 
the glaze has deteriorated. 

Tz'ii-chou type: T'ang dynasty. 
H. ISH in- D. 8^ in. 

89 Vase of slender baluster form with tall, narrow neck and wide, 
saucer-shaped mouth with flat sides. Grayish white porce- 
lanous ware with white slip which stops in an uneven Hne above 
the base, and a smooth grayish white glaze; grafiito ornament 
showing white against a mouse-gray ground. On the body is a 
bold floral scroll with etched details, and on the shoulder is a 
foHage scroll. There is a band of wheel-made hnes in the 
middle of the neck. 

Tz'u-chou ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 20 in. D. y^ in. 

90 Pear-shaped vase with spreading neck. Buff stoneware cov- 
ered with white sHp and thin, transparent glaze. The sHp is 
cut away in three bands of phoenix and cloud design and 
ornamental leaves. 

Tz'u-chou ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. I2}i in. D. 7 in. 

[19I 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

91 Slender, pear-shaped vase: hard gray porcelanous ware covered 
with white sHp and transparent glaze, the slip partly etched 
away to leave a large floral design on a gray background. 
Tz'ii-chou ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 14 in. D. 6 in. 

92 Pear-shaped bottle: reddish buff stoneware covered with slip 
which is etched away to form the decoration; a floral design 
arranged in two broad bands, and one narrow horizontal band; 
at the base a design of formal leaves. 

Tz'ii-chou ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 12X in. D. 7 in. 

93 Vase of slender oval form with small neck and conical mouth. 
Gray stoneware coated with white slip over which is a colorless 
glaze minutely crackled. Graffito ornament in three broad 
bands. In the central band is a bold foliage scroll with the 
background cut away and etched details showing white against 
a mouse-colored ground: below this is a formal pattern of 
Vandykes and arches with slashed hnes between; and on the 
shoulder is a foliage scroll with etched outUnes and details, 
the background powdered with small, impressed circles. 
Tz'u-chou ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. i8>^ in. D. 8 in. 

94 Vase of slender oval form with small mouth. Buff stoneware 
with a coating of solid white slip and a creamy white glaze, 
boldly painted with belts of ornament in black. On the sides 
is a broad band of floral scroll; below it a narrower band with 
three foliage sprays, which is repeated on the shoulder: stiff 
leaves round the foot. The glaze is shrunk in shallow wrinkles 
on the upper part. 

Tz'ii-chou ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. i6H in- D- 7>2 in. 

95 Vase, slender with narrow, short neck; hard gray porcelanous 
stoneware covered with white sHp and thin, transparent glaze; 
sHp etched away, leaving a broad band of floral ornament, with 
a narrower band below; at the base formal leaves. 
Tz'ii-chou ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 18 in. D. 7>^in. 

[20] 



TZ'U-CHOU WARE 

96 Vase with pear-shaped body, high broad shoulders, short 
contracted neck, and wide mouth. Reddish stoneware. The 
design executed in graffito etching through a wash of thin black, 
the incisions disclosing the white slip beneath. The figures in 
the panels in this case represent three sages — one looking at a 
lotus in a pool, another pointing to a skeleton on the ground, 
and the third standing before a blossoming tree: in each panel 
are rocks and bamboos and clouds floating above. The belts 
of ornament are separated by white bands painted with concen- 
tric rings in black. 

Tz'u-chou ware: Yiian dynasty. 
H. I2}i in. D. 11^ in. 

97 Pillow. Hard gray stoneware covered with white sUp and 
transparent glaze. Decorated in brownish black with the 
figures of a sage and a stork; on the front and ends are floral 
designs. Impressed mark on bottom. 

Tz'u-chou ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 5>^ in. L. 12 in. 

98 Pillow in the shape of a tiger. Hard gray stoneware covered 
with thick white glaze and decorated in black. 

Tz'u-chou ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 4.J^ in. L. ioj< in. 



99 Vase of slender ovoid form with short neck and flattened lip. 
BuflF stoneware covered with white slip which has been etched 
away and filled in with purpHsh black to form a floral scroll in 
two horizontal bands. The background is covered with small 
circles. At the base is an incised design of tall leaves. 
Tz'u-chou ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. i6>^ in. D. yyi in. 

100 Vase of pear shape. Hard gray stoneware covered with 
white slip and a transparent thin glaze decorated with iron- 
red, green enamel, and gray-black. The main design is a broad 
band containing three pointed quatrefoils, two containing 
figures and boats, the third a formal floral design; on the 
shoulder is floral ornament and around the base a design of 
formal floral leaves; the inside is enameled black. 
Tz'u-chou ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. iiy^ in. D. 13 in. 

[21] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

101 Vase of slender oval form with small mouth. The neck is cut 
off. Buff stoneware with a coating of solid white slip and 
transparent crackled glaze, boldly painted in red with scenes 
representing two figures making offerings to a figure on a lotus 
throne. Stiff leaves around the foot. On the shoulder is a 
formal foliage scroll. The background covered with small 
circles. 

Tz'u-chou ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. I5>^in. D. 7^ in. 

102 Dish of dark buff ware covered with white slip and trans- 
parent, finely crackled glaze. Decorated with flowers in iron- 
red, green, and yellow enamels. 

Tz'u-chou ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. i^ in. D. 6%: in. 

103 Dish; circular, flat, with upturned rim. Grayish white stone- 
ware, covered with a white, finely crackled glaze and decorated 
with the phoenix amid flowers and leaves outlined in iron-red 
on a background of green enamel and surrounded by green 
and yellow enamel bands. 

Tz'u-chou ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. ^in. D. Sin. 

104 Bowl, deep and cylindrical. Gray stoneware covered with 
shp and a transparent glaze and decorated with iron-red, 
green, and yellow enamels. 

Tz'ii-chou ware : Sung dynasty. 
H. 3;<in. D. 41^ in. 

105 Bowl of conical shape and slightly rounded sides. Of buff 
stoneware with double slip cover and transparent glaze and 
decorated with flowers in iron-red and green enamel. 
Tz'u-chou ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 2X in. D. 6H in. 



106 Vase with pear-shaped body, high broad shoulders, short 
contracted neck, and wide mouth: a wide flange at the base. 
Reddish stoneware with wash of white sHp and transparent 
glaze. Painted ornament in black with touches of orange 
slip under the glaze. The main design is a broad band con- 

[22] 



TZ'U-CHOU WARE 

taining three pointed quatrefoil panels with figure subjects: 
(i) a garden terrace with a seated personage and an attendant 
giving him wine; (2) a similar figure rechning in a garden under 
a fruit-laden tree; and (3) an interior with a man sleeping. 
The spaces are filled with scrollwork. On the shoulder is a 
broad belt of foliage scrolls with four large flowers at even 
intervals; and there are narrow borders of key-fret, Vandyke, 
and scroll patterns, and a band of false gadroons on the foot. 
The base is edged with a broad black band. 
Tz'u-chou ware: Yiian dynasty. 
H. i3>^in. D. iiX in. 

107 Bulbous vase with long, spreading neck of gray stoneware 
covered with white slip and yellowish finely crackled glaze. 
Inside the neck is covered with green glaze. 

Tz'u-chou type: Sung dynasty. 
H. 19 in. D. 10 in. 

108 Vase with pear-shaped body, high broad shoulders, short 
contracted neck, and wide mouth; a wide flange at the base. 
Reddish stoneware covered with white slip; painted orna- 
ment in brown with touches of orange slip. The main design 
is a broad band with three pointed quatrefoil panels, two of 
which contain each a stork; the band on the shoulder contains 
floral ornament; around the base is a band of false gadroons. 
Tz'ii-chou ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 13 >^ in. D. 12 in. 

109 Figure of Kuan Yin. Hard porcelanous stoneware, decorated 
with white and red slip and outlined with black under a trans- 
parent glaze. 

Tz'u-chou ware: Yiian dynasty. 
H. 11^ in. 

no Vase, slender, with small neck and four handles. Dark buff" 
stoneware covered with white slip over reddish slip under a 
thin, transparent glaze; the lower half is covered with dark 
brown glaze; on the upper half are Chinese characters in 
brown. 

Tz'u-chou ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 10 in. D. 4>^ in, 

[23] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

111 Vase of reddish bufF clay covered with white sHp and colorless 
transparent glaze. Decorated with a conventional flower 
design of gray-green under the glaze and an inscription in an 
upright panel at one side. Lip and foot cut oflF. 
Tz'u-chou ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. sH in. D. 4>< in. 

112 Vase of conical shape with short, round neck and sloping lip. 
Light yellowish stoneware covered with white slip and thin, 
transparent glaze. The slip is cut away in four bands of floral 
decoration, the background being formed by the glazed earth 
of the vase. 

Tz'u-chou ware. 

H. Iij4 in. D. 4>^ in. 



[ 24 



CHUN WARE 

113 Deep bowl of globular form slightly contracted at the mouth; 
small foot. Gray porcelanous ware with beautiful opalescent 
glaze of pale lavender-blue sown with faint greenish points 
and ending in a billowy roll at the base. Glaze under the 
foot and an unglazed patch inside. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 6>^ in. D. 7^in. 

114 Deep bowl of globular form sHghtly contracted at the mouth; 
small foot. Gray porcelanous ware with opalescent glaze of 
pale lavender-blue ending in billowy line at the base. Glaze 
under the foot and an unglazed patch inside. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. sH in. D. 7^ in. 

115 Bowl of conical form with small foot and contracted mouth. 
BufF porcelanous ware with pitted opalescent glaze of green- 
ish gray faintly streaked; where the glaze has run thick at 
the rim, olive-gray shows. The foot is washed with thin olive- 
gray glaze and has a patch of the general gray glaze. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 31/^in. D. 5^in. 

116 Bowl of conical shape with rounded sides. Hard, reddish bulF 
ware covered with a finely speckled and crackled greenish 
blue, opalescent glaze, brown where the glaze has run thin. 
Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 3>^ in. D. 5^ in. 

117 Bowl of globular form, slightly contracted at the mouth; 
small foot. Gray porcelanous ware burnt red-brown at the 
foot and on the mouth rim, which are both bare. Smooth 

[25] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

opalescent glaze of exquisite moon-white color passing into 
pale lavender. A patch of glaze under the foot. 
Kuan ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 4yi in. D. 6}4 in. 

118 Bowl of conical form with small foot and slightly contracted 
mouth. Porcelanous ware burnt reddish brown at the base. 
Thick opalescent glaze heavily bubbled on the upper parts 
and irregularly crackled, the color deep lavender-gray with 
light brown flecks here and there and a flush of purple on the 
upper part of the exterior. A patch of glaze under the base. 
Chiinware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 3^ in. D. 6 in. 

119 Flower pot with globular bowl, high neck, flaring mouth, and 
low foot slightly spreading. Gray porcelanous ware with 
smooth opalescent glaze freely crackled and parted here and 
there with "earthworm" markings. The color is lavender 
finely flecked with gray and deepening into purple on the 
bowl: the edges are olive. The base is washed with olive- 
brown, incised with the numeral i, - (one), and pierced with 
five holes. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. io>^ in. D. io>^ in. D. of base, 6 >^ in. 

120 Bulb bowl of bronze form with three cloud-scroll feet: the 
exterior is bordered by two rows of studs, the upper row 
inclosed by raised bands. Grayish white porcelanous ware 
with opalescent glaze irregularly crackled. An olive tint 
appears on the salient parts where the glaze is thin, but over 
the rest of the surface the color is a misty lavender-gray, more 
opaque and gray inside, but slightly suff"used with purple on 
the exterior. The base is washed with olive-brown and incised 
with the numeral sauy H (three), and it has a ring of spur- 
marks. 

Chiinware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 31^ in. D. 9 in. 

121 Bulb bowl, or flower-pot stand, moulded in six shaped lobes 
and flanged at the mouth with a six-foil rim: three cloud-scroll 
feet. Gray porcelanous ware with opalescent glaze which 
flows away from the salient parts, leaving them a pale gray- 

[26] 



CHUN WARE 

olive color. The inside is blue-lavender dappled with grayish 
white and broken by numerous "earthworm" markings. The 
color outside is the same, showing slight touches of purple. 
The base is washed with reddish olive-brown and incised with 
the numeral wu, ^ (five); and it has a ring of slight spur- 
marks. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2>^ in. D. 8f^in. 

122 Bulb bowl of bronze form with three cloud-scroll feet: bor- 
dered on the exterior with two rows of studs, the upper row 
inclosed by raised bands. Grayish white porcelanous ware 
with finely mottled opalescent glaze of misty gray color 
clouded with lavender and pale olive-green: the latter color 
appears where the glaze has run thin on the salient parts. 
The base is washed with olive-brown and incised with the 
numeral 2, - (one), and it has a ring of spur-marks. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3K^in. D. io>^in. 

123 Bulb bowl, or flower-pot stand, moulded in six shaped lobes 
with flanged rim in six-foil form and three cloud-scroll feet. 
Gray porcelanous ware with opalescent glaze. The salient 
parts where the glaze is thin are a pale olive color. The inside 
is a bluish lavender dappled with greenish white and broken 
by very numerous "earthworm" markings. The color outside 
is the same, broken by the rounded contours of the moulding. 
The base is washed with olive-brown with a few red splashes 
and incised with the numeral ?", - (one). 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3^/^ in. D. ()}4 in. 

124 Beaker-shaped vase of bronze form with cylindrical body, 
spreading foot, and high, spreading neck ornamented with 
vertical ribs, the remains of the bronze prototype. Gray 
porcelanous ware covered with greenish white, finely crackled 
glaze much pitted by air bubbles; the paste shows a buff" color 
where the glaze has run thin. The foot is covered with a thin 
wash of bluish glaze. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 8X in. D. 6}4 in. 

[27] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

125 Flower pot of oblong, hexagonal form with straight sides 
gently tapering toward the base, which is supported by six 
small cloud-scroll feet: narrow, flat flange at the mouth. 
Grayish white porcelanous ware with finely striated opalescent 
glaze of pale purplish color, heavily streaked with opaque 
milky gray on the upright surfaces and dappled with the same 
color on the flat parts. "Earthworm" markings on the 
bottom inside, and seven holes in the base. The salient parts, 
where the glaze is thin, are of a pale olive color. The base has 
brown glaze overrun with lavender and gray, and a ring of 
spur-marks; and the numeral ssu, <n> (four), is incised inside 
one of the feet. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 6in. L. io>^in. B. 6^ in. 

126 Flower pot of deep bowl form moulded in six shaped lobes 
and flanged at the mouth with a six-foil rim. Grayish white 
porcelanous ware with opalescent gray glaze shot with faint 
violet and shading off^into pale olive at the edges of the mould- 
ings. The base is washed with olive-brown and incised with 
the numeral zvuy * (five). 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 6H in. D. Qi^in. 

127 Part of beaker-shaped vase of bronze type; of gray porcelan- 
ous ware covered with opalescent light blue-green glaze, 
frothy on the neck, beautifully transparent and streaked with 
green-gray on the body. The paste where the glaze has run 
thin shows a light olive color. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 4}4 in. D. 5 in. 

128 Flower-pot stand of oblong, rectangular form with notched 
corners, straight sides, flanged rim, and four small cloud- 
scroll feet. Grayish white porcelanous ware with opalescent 
glaze irregularly crackled and parted with "earthworm" 
markings. The color is a misty lavender-gray with passages of 
milky white, passing into pale olive where the glaze has run 
thin. The base is washed with olive-brown and incised with 
the numeral shih, + (ten), and it has a ring of spur-marks. 
Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 2 in. L. 7 in. 

[28] 



CHUN WARE 

129 Bowl of conical form with small foot and slightly contracted 
mouth. Gray porcelanous ware burnt rusty red on the base 
rim. Smooth opalescent glaze faintly crackled and of pale 
lavender-gray color. Glaze under the base. 

Chiin or Kuan ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 4>< in. D. 8^ in. 

130 Bowl with small foot and slightly contracted mouth. Grayish 
white porcelanous ware with smooth opalescent glaze of dove- 
gray color faintly tinged with lavender. Glaze under the base. 
Chiin or Kuan ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 33^ in. D. 8K in. 

131 Bowl of conical form, with rounded sides and slightly con- 
tracted rim of gray-white porcelanous ware covered with light 
blue-gray opalescent glaze mottled and streaked with greenish 
white. At the rim where the glaze runs thin the paste shows 
through olive-gray. The foot is washed with reddish olive 
glaze and has a patch of blue glaze in the center. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 4 in. D. 9 in. 

132 Dish with narrow, flanged rim. Gray porcelanous ware 
covered entirely with a crackled opalescent glaze of pale 
lavender tint, frosted over in places with a brownish film 
broken here and there by "earthworm" marks. Five spur- 
marks under the base. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
D. 7>^in. 

133 Plate of grayish white porcelanous ware covered with a bluish 
green opalescent crackled glaze; where the glaze runs thin at 
the rim the paste shows through pinkish gray. The foot rim 
is washed with reddish olive glaze and the base is covered with 
the general glaze. Three spur-marks. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. i>^ in. D. 7 in. 

134 Vase of baluster form, shaped in four lobes; high shoulders 
and small neck. Reddish buff ware with thick opalescent 
turquoise glaze lightly crackled and much deteriorated; on 
the shoulders two bright purple splashes. 

Soft Chiin type: Yiian dynasty. 
H. 8 in. D. 4 in. 

[29] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

135 Vase of baluster form, shaped in four lobes: high shoulders 
and small mouth. Reddish bufF ware with thick opalescent 
turquoise glaze lightly crackled and almost entirely trans- 
muted into dull purple, which is broken here and there by 
"earthworm" markings. 

Soft Chiin type: probably Sung dynasty. 
H. 6y& in. D. 3 in. 

136 Bowl of globular form, with straight sides and slightly con- 
tracted at the mouth. Reddish buflF stoneware covered with a 
thick turquoise crackled glaze on the inside, and on the out- 
side a rich purple glaze fading into light brown where at the 
rim the glaze runs thin. The inside of the foot is covered with 
a finely crackled turquoise glaze. 

Soft Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2^ in. D. 3^in. 

137 Small, twelve-lobed bulb bowl resting on six cloud-scroll feet. 
Gray porcelanous ware glazed inside with a turquoise-blue 
finely crackled and partly deteriorated glaze. The flat border 
and the exterior are covered in mottled purple, and the base 
is covered with turquoise-blue and incised with the numeral 
san, Z (three). 

Soft Chiin ware: Yiian dynasty. 
H. 2 in. D. 7 in. 

138 Small vase of bulbous shape with wide, spreading mouth and 
three knobs on the neck, of buff porcelanous earth burned 
reddish and covered with greenish white regularly crackled 
glaze which has slight crimson splashes. Base inside covered 
with the same finely crackled glaze. 

Soft Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2^in. D. 2>^in. 

139 Vase with depressed globular body, short neck, and projecting 
lip, decorated with finely moulded lotus flowers and tall 
leaves round the neck. Buff hard stoneware covered with a 
rich but thin brown-black glaze, the design showing in 
brown lines where the glaze has run thin on the sharp edges 
of the mouldings. The inside is covered with a beautiful 
greenish yellow glaze finely crackled and the inside of the foot 
rim shows the same glaze, but coarser and greener. 

Chun type: probably Sung ware. 
H. 3^ in. D. 2^ in. 

[30] 



CHUN WARE 

Vase with globular body, and short neck expanding into a 
wide, flat flange at the mouth. Reddish buff^ ware with thick 
opalescent glaze faintly crackled, the color dull turquoise 
with passages of lavender and shading off" into dull purpHsh 
tone on the sides. The glaze on the mouth rim is deeply 
flawed by the bursting of bubbles. 
Soft Chiin type: probably Sung ware. 
H. 9f^in. D. lo^in. 

Water pot, melon-shaped with five lobes; small mouth, short 
spout, and loop handle with a bud-shaped thumb-piece. 
Reddish buff' ware with thick opalescent turquoise glaze, 
lightly crackled and breaking into crimson on the lower parts. 
Soft Chiin type: probably Sung dynasty. 
H. 3 >^ in. D., with spout and handle, 3 yi in. 

Cup on high stem of buff" stoneware burned reddish brown 
and covered inside with a gray-green glaze with two crimson 
blotches. The outside is evenly covered with crimson grading 
off^ to green-gray and ending in a billowy line near the base. 
The foot inside is uncovered. 
Soft Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2>< in. D. 3>< in. 

Water dropper in form of a squatting hen with one chicken on 
its back and the head of another appearing from under its 
wing: cleverly modeled. Soft reddish buff" ware with opaque 
crackled glaze of white color faintly tinged with turquoise, 
broken here and there by small splashes of dark ruby-red. 
The glaze is much decayed, and incrusted with a brownish 
film, and shows an occasional iridescence. There is an oval 
opening in the back, and the beak is pierced to serve as a 
spout. 

Soft Chiin type: Sung dynasty. 
H. 6 in. L. 6X in. 

Vase with globular body and short, narrow neck sHghtly taper- 
ing upward. Buff^ ware with thick opalescent turquoise glaze 
lightly crackled. 
Soft Chiin type: Sung dynasty. 
H. 4 in. D. 3>^ in. 

[31] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

145 Vase of ovoid shape with long, spreading neck, the foot pierced 
in five places. Reddish porcelanous ware covered with a finely 
crackled blue glaze mottled with purple, which covers the 
base and fills up two of the perforations in the foot. 

Soft Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 4>^ in. D. ^yi in. 

146 Vase of baluster form, shaped in four lobes: high shoulders 
and small neck. Reddish bufF ware with thick opalescent tur- 
quoise glaze lightly crackled and shading off into faint purple 
on one side. Two curious pointed oval depressions appear on 
the other side, caused by the bursting of air bubbles. 

Soft Chiin type: probably Sung dynasty. 
H. 8X in. D. \y^ in. 

147 Vase of globular form, the exterior moulded hke a lotus flower 
with raised petals. Dark gray stoneware burnt reddish brown 
on the base and the inside, which are both unglazed. Closely 
crackled, milky gray glaze, which is darkened on the saHent 
parts by the body-color beneath it. The base shows the im- 
pression of a circular support. 

Sung dynasty. 

H. 7 in. D. 93/^in. 

148 Vase with pear-shaped body, the lower part moulded with 
slightly raised lotus petals: contracted neck and spreading 
mouth with raised studs suggesting the seed-pod of the lotus. 
Buff stoneware with thick opalescent glaze minutely crackled, 
and of turquoise color passing into lavender and sky blue and 
fading into a dull purple on the sides. 

Soft Chiin type: probably Sung dynasty. 
H. uM^in. D. 83^in. 



149 Baluster-shaped vase with short neck of light buff stoneware 
covered with opalescent gray-green glaze streaked with blue 
and splashed with purple and crimson. 

Chiin ware: Yiian dynasty. 
H. I2>^in. D. 6^in. 

150 Incense vase with three feet, globular body, short, straight 
neck with flanged mouth, and two upright, rectangular handles 
with attachments of dragon form. Dark gray stoneware burnt 



CHUN WARE 

brown in the unglazed parts, with thick flowing glaze, faintly- 
crackled, which ends in a billowy line without entirely cover- 
ing the base and the feet. Applied relief ornaments overrun 
by the glaze, but apparently consisting of two tiger-masks 
on the sides and four rosettes on the neck. The glaze is opal- 
escent and of pale lavender or clair-de-lune color shot with 
grayish white and flushing in parts with a warm purplish 
tinge. 

Chiin type: Sung or Yiian dynasty. 
H. 8i^in. D. yi^in. 

151 Vase with pear-shaped body and tall, spreading neck. Lower 
part moulded with raised lotus petals. Buff" stoneware with 
opalescent glaze, minutely crackled and of turquoise color 
passing into reddish brown where the glaze has run thin. 
Soft Chiin type: probably Yiian dynasty. 

H. 7X in. D. 33^ in. 

152 Vase with pear-shaped body, the lower part moulded with 
slightly raised lotus petals: contracted neck and spreading 
mouth with raised studs, suggesting the seed-pod of the lotus. 
Buff" stoneware with opalescent glaze minutely crackled, and of 
turquoise color passing into lavender and sky blue and fading 
into a purplish brown. 

Soft Chiin type: probably Sung dynasty. 
H. 6 in. D. 4X in. 



153 Incense-burner with globular body, straight neck, and flanged 
mouth. Light buflF porcelanous ware with thick crackled glaze 
of turquoise-green and dark purple, ending in a billowy line, 
the bottom and legs covered thinly with the purple glaze. 
Soft Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 4 in. D. 4>^ in. 

154 Vase of baluster form with high shoulder and small mouth. 
Reddish buff" ware with crackled turquoise glaze faintly 
tinged with lavender, and frosted with brown on the sides. 
Soft Chiin type: probably Sung dynasty. 

H. 6f^in. D. 3>^in. 

[33I 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

155 Vase of lotus-bud shape with a very small opening at the top. 
Reddish buflF ware with thick opalescent glaze of turquoise 
color faintly crackled and frosted in places with pinkish 
brown. 

Soft Chiin type: probably Sung dynasty. 
H. 23^ in. D. 23^ in. 

156 Vase with conical, bud-shaped body and small mouth. 
Reddish bufF ware with thick opalescent turquoise glaze, 
lightly crackled and shading off into faint purple. 

Soft Chiin type: probably Sung dynasty. 
H. 3>^ in. D. 3 in. 

157 Plate with narrow, flat rim with six-foil edge. Gray-white por- 
celanous ware with opalescent glaze of pale lavender-blue, 
faintly crackled with irregular lines. Hollow base partially 
glazed. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
D. 7f^ in. 

158 Vase of oval form with small low neck and projecting lip. 
BufF pottery burnt reddish at the base rim, with thick opales- 
cent glaze finely crackled and ending just short of the foot 
outside. The color is turquoise-blue warming into lavender, 
with large flushes of rosy purple. 

Soft Chiin type: Sung or Yiian dynasty. 
H. 9 in. D. 5^ in. 

1 59 Vase of ovoid form with small mouth. Reddish buff" ware with 
thick opalescent turquoise-blue glaze crackled and forming in 
billowy lumps on the sides and splashed with three symmetri- 
cal crimson patches on the shoulder. 

Soft Chiin type: probably Sung dynasty. 
H. 4>^ in. D. 2^ in. 

160 Vase, melon-shaped with eight shallow lobes: low neck and 
base. Buff^ pottery with opalescent turquoise-blue glaze finely 
crackled and flowing unevenly so that the body-color shows 
through in places. Light tinges of purple and crimson and 
greenish patches appear here and there. 

Soft Chiin type: Sung dynasty. 
H. 4^ in. D. 6 in. 

[34] 



CHUN WARE 

161 Vase of pomegranate form with S-shaped foot. Reddish buff 
ware with thick opalescent glaze of turquoise color faintly 
crackled, and frosted in places with brown and splashed with 
crimson. 

Soft Chiin type: probably Sung dynasty. 
H. 3 in. D. 2f^in. 

162 Small pear-shaped vase, with short, spreading neck; of reddish 
buff stoneware covered with a very thick crackled blue glaze 
mottled with white and covered with a purple splash. 

Soft Chiin ware: probably Sung dynasty. 
H. 5 in. D. 3Xin. 

163 Basin with small foot and rounded sides slightly contracting 
at the mouth, BufF stoneware with thick opalescent crackled 
glaze ending in a billowy roll just short of the base. The 
color inside is turquoise tinged with lavender and broken by 
three symmetrically placed splashes of purple dappled with 
crimson and in one case shading off into green. Outside it 
passes from purple streaked with gray into lavender with a 
passage of turquoise-gray and dappHngs of crimson. 

Chiin type: Sung or Yiian dynasty. 
H. 3Kin. D. 8f^in. 

164 Basin .with small foot, rounded sides, and slightly contracted 
mouth. Reddish buff stoneware with thick opalescent glaze, 
faintly crackled and ending in a fairly even line short of the 
base. The color inside is opal-blue passing into lavender- 
gray and heavily bubbled where it has flowed thick in the 
bottom of the bowl; it is broken by three splashes on the 
sides and one in the center, of purple with passages of crim- 
son, frosted with green and russet brown in the centers. 
Outside it changes from crimson to purple shot with gray, 
dappled and frosted with green. An exquisite specimen 
with wonderful play of color. 

Chiin type: Sung or Yiian dynasty. 
H. 4 in. D. c)}i in. 

165 Vase with pear-shaped body and long, spreading neck; of 
buff-colored porcelanous ware covered with a crackled gray- 
blue glaze and splashed with purple. Much stained by moist- 
ure. The bottom of the foot has been covered with blue glaze. 
Chiin ware : Sung dynasty. 

H. iX in. D. 5 in. 

[35] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

166 Bowl of conical shape with rounded sides and broad, heavy 
foot, of reddish buff clay covered with an opalescent blue glaze 
ending in a billowy line and drops above the foot and streaked 
with purpUsh blue lines turning to brown at the rim. 
Chiinware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 3><in. D. 7>< in. 

167 Bowl of conical form with small foot and slightly contracted 
mouth. Buff stoneware with thick opalescent glaze ending 
in an irregular welt above the base. The color of the glaze is 
pale lavender-gray, or clair-de-lune, flecked with brown in 
places and broken by large patches of purple filled in with 
gray and greenish brown. 

Chiin type: Sung or Yiian dynasty. 
H. 3f^ in. D. 6 in. 

168 Bowl of conical form with small foot and slightly contracted 
mouth. Iron-gray stoneware with thick fluescent glaze which 
runs into a deep pool inside and ends in a billowy roll and large 
drops short of the base outside. The color changes with the 
flow of the glaze, from a thin brownish skin at the edge 
through a dark peacock-blue to hght blue streaked with 
purple. The pool inside has boiled up into brownish gray 
scum and burst in large bubbles hke lava. 

Chun type: Yiian dynasty. 
H. 3 in. D. 7 in. 

169 Bowl of conical form, with small foot and slightly contracted 
mouth. Reddish stoneware with thick, flowing glaze which 
runs into a deep pool inside and ends in a billowy roll and 
large drops short of the base on the outside. The color changes 
with the flow of glaze, from a thin brown skin at the edge 
through a bluish lavender to a greenish gray streaked with 
blue. The pool inside has boiled up into a yellowish white 
scum and burst in large bubbles. 

Chiin type: Yiian dynasty. 
H. 3 in. D. yy2 in. 

170 Jar with broad ovoid body, short neck, and wide mouth. 
Buff stoneware with crackled opalescent glaze of pale lavender, 
assuming an olive tint where the glaze is thin. Three sym- 

[36] 



CHUN WARE 

metrically disposed patches on the shoulder of green color 
shot with blue run into creamy white. 
Chiintype: Yiian dynasty. 
H. IIJ4 in. D. 12^ in. 

171 Jar with broad ovoid body, short neck, and wide mouth. 
Dense reddish stoneware with lightly crackled opalescent 
glaze of pale misty lavender color assuming an oUve tint 
where the glaze is thin: faint "earthworm" markings here 
and there, and three symmetrically disposed patches on the 
shoulder of purple color with frosted green centers. Glaze 
under the base. 

Chiintype: Sung dynasty. 
H. io|^ in. D. 13 in. 

172 Vase with broad ovoid body, short neck, and wide mouth. 
Coarse reddish stoneware with crackled opalescent glaze 
ending in an uneven line short of the base. The color is 
grayish lavender of varying depth, lightly frosted in parts 
with brown and broken on the shoulder by three large splashes 
of purple with crimson centers. 

Chiin type: Yiian dynasty. 
H. 6X in. D. 7^ in. 

173 Saucer dish with scalloped sides, and a large peach-blossom 
with leaves modeled in low relief inside. Porcelanous stone- 
ware burnt reddish brown on the raw base. Thick opalescent 
glaze with wonderful play of color and freely crackled. The 
color passes from pale transparent greenish brown on the 
salient parts to lavender-blue finely flecked with gray; there 
are occasional spots and streaks of deep crimson-brown, and 
two patches of amethystine purple with dark brown centers 
frosted with green. A greenish gray froth partially obscures 
the lavender ground. The same glaze appears outside, but 
with large areas of transparent green. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
D. 8>^in. 

174 Bowl of conical form with small foot and slightly contracted 
mouth. Coarse reddish stoneware with thick opaque crackled 
glaze which ends in an uneven hne short of the base. The 
color is a pale smoky gray with a faint tinge of lavender, and 

[37] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

there is a splash of crimson inside frosted over with green. 

The glaze has shrunk into deep corrugations on the lower part 

of the exterior. 

Chiin type: Yiian dynasty. 

H. 3^in. D. 7K in. 



175 Bowl of conical form with small foot and contracted mouth. 
Iron-gray stoneware with opalescent glaze sparsely crackled 
and ending short of the base. The color is moonlight white 
or very pale lavender faintly frosted with brown and broken 
by two purple patches with pale centers. 

Chiin type: Yiian dynasty. 
H. 3 in. D. y}i in. 

176 Bowl of conical form with small foot and slightly contracted 
mouth. Gray porcelanous ware burnt brown at the foot. 
Opalescent glaze strongly crackled and stopping at the foot 
in an uneven line. The color is milky lavender shading into 
pale olive at the edges and broken by two splashes of ame- 
thystine purple. 

Chiin type: Sung or Yiian dynasty. 
H. 2K in- D- 7 in. 

177 Bowl of conical form with small foot and slightly contracted 
mouth. Iron-gray stoneware with flowing opalescent glaze 
which is boldly crackled and ends in an uneven welt just 
short of the base. The color is purplish lavender shot with 
milky gray which dominates the purple where the glaze flows 
thick. Portions of the surface are thickly flecked with brown 
and there is a purple splash inside with a brown center. 
Chiin type: Yiian dynasty. 

H. 3>^ in. D. 7 in. 

178 Bowl of conical form with small foot and slightly contracted 
mouth. BuflP stoneware with thick opalescent glaze lightly 
crackled and stopping short of the base. The color is laven- 
der-gray clouded with brown and broken by a long narrow 
splash of rose-purple frosted in the center with green and 
brown. The glaze outside is waxen in surface and deeply pitted. 
Chiin type: Yiian dynasty. 

H. 4K in. D. 874 in. 

[38] 



CHUN WARE 

179 Basin with small foot, rounded sides, and contracted mouth. 
Reddish buff stoneware with crackled opalescent glaze flow- 
ing in waves on the exterior and ending in an uneven roll 
short of the base. The color inside is lavender with purple 
splashes, one of which has a green-streaked center and rus- 
set spots. Outside it is milky lavender hghtly clouded with 
a greenish brown frosting. 
Chiin type: Sung or Yiian dynasty. 
H. 3>i in. D. 8>^ in. 

1 80-1 8 1 Two globular pots, each with wide contracted mouth 
and two small handles; reddish buff stoneware covered with 
thick, flowing, greenish white, opalescent glaze, streaked with 
lavender and splashed with purple and crimson, which ends 
in a billowy roll and large drops at the base. 
Chiin ware: Yiian dynasty. 
H. 4X in. D. sy2 in. 

182 Saucer dish of dark buff" stoneware with opalescent glaze, 
crackled. Color greenish lavender-gray splashed with crim- 
son bordered with purplish gray. 

Chiin type: Sung dynasty. 
D. S}4 in. 

183 Saucer dish of reddish buff" stoneware and opalescent glaze. 
The color is greenish gray with regularly placed splashes of 
crimson and purple with brownish green centers. 

Chiin type: Sung dynasty. 
D. 8^ in. 

184 Baluster-shaped vase with short neck of hard brown stone- 
ware covered with a thin opalescent lavender glaze turned 
olive-brown where the glaze has run thin, and ending a half 
inch above the base in a billowy line. The foot isj covered 
with a thin reddish olive wash, and the base with bluish glaze. 
Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 14 in. D. 6}4 in. 

185 Vase with broad, pear-shaped body, high shoulders, and 
small, straight neck. Reddish buff" porcelanous stoneware 
with thick opalescent glaze widely crackled and ending in a 
ragged line and big drops about three inches short of the 

[39] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

foot: below this is a thin skin of translucent glaze of olive- 
green color clouded with lavender-gray at the bottom. The 
main glaze is covered with a skin of green frosting which has 
parted in a netting of "earthworm" marks and spots reveal- 
ing a gray color beneath, with tinges of purple which emerge 
in a warm flush on one side. 
Chiin type: Sung or Yiian dynasty. 
H. lo in. D. 7>< in. 

1 86 Incense-burner with globular body, straight neck and flanged 
mouth, two dragon handles, and three small feet. Gray por- 
celanous ware with opalescent and faintly crackled glaze pass- 
ing from gray to lavender and splashed with large patches of 
purple. An unglazed patch inside. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 3^ in. D., with handles, c,}i in. 

187 Incense-burner with globular body, straight neck, and flanged 
mouth. Gray porcelanous ware with faintly crackled opal- 
escent glaze of pale lavender-blue with splashes of purple 
which shade off^ into crimson and violet. Unglazed inside the 
bowl. 

Chun ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 824 in. D. 4>< in. 

188 Incense-burner with globular body, straight neck, and flanged 
mouth. Dark bufF porcelanous body with faintly crackled 
greenish white glaze with a faint purple splash, and glazed 
base. 

Soft Chiin ware: Yiian dynasty. 
H. 2}i in. D. 2^i in. 

189 Saucer dish with narrow flanged rim. Porcelanous ware burnt 
red at the base, which is unglazed: the rest of the surface 
covered with a smooth opalescent glaze of pale delicate lav- 
ender-gray or clair-de-lune with two patches of purple finely 
powdered with gray specks. The glaze is boldly but irregu- 
larly crackled. 

Probably Kuan ware: Sung dynasty. 
D. yy& in. 

[401 



CHUN WARE 

190 Plate with narrow rim. Gray porcelanous ware with opales- 
cent glaze of misty lavender-gray color breaking into large 
patches of plum-purple with crimson tinges. The surface is 
lightly frosted with brown. Three spur-marks beneath. 
Chiin or Kuan ware: Sung dynasty. 

D. yyi in. 

191 Small, pear-shaped pot with wide mouth of reddish bufF stone- 
ware covered with thick opalescent gray-green glaze splashed 
with purple turning to green in regular designs forming two 
Chinese characters, chun shin, meaning "purity of heart." 
The interest of this piece is that it clearly proves that in the 
later periods colored splashes on Chun yao could be exactly 
controlled. 

Chiin ware: Yiian dynasty. 
H. 4>^ in. D. 4>^ in. 

192 Water pot of depressed globular form with small mouth. 
Reddish bufF ware with crackled opalescent glaze of turquoise 
color with broad band of plum-purple blotched with turquoise 
and faint green stains. 

Soft Chiin type: Sung dynasty. 
H. if^ in. D. 3 in. 

193 Incense-burner with depressed globular body, straight neck, 
and flanged mouth: three small feet. Gray porcelanous ware 
with misty lavender-gray glaze passing into purple flecked 
with russet and green spots. Metal mount and cover, the 
latter with pierced floral design, made in Japan. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. zyi in. D. 2^ in. 

194 Incense-burner with globular body, straight neck, and flanged 
mouth. Gray porcelanous ware with faintly crackled opales- 
cent glaze of pale greenish gray with splashes of light purple. 
Part of the bowl inside unglazed. 

Soft Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2^ in. D. 3>< in. 

195 Vase with globular body, short neck with spreading lip, and 
two loop-handles. Buff" stoneware with thick opalescent 
glaze strongly crackled and ending in a fairly regular welt short 

[41] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

of the base. The color is pale lavender-blue flushing with 
purple on the sides and broken by large rose-purple splashes, 
with crimson flecked with gray in their centers. The shoulders 
are lightly frosted with brown, and the underlying purple 
emerges in the lines of the crackle and in the bubbles of the 
glaze. 

Chun type: Sung or Yiian dynasty. 
H. 5 in. D. 5^ in. 

196 Jar of oval form with contracted neck and wide mouth with 
thick, rounded lip. Coarse gray stoneware full of quartzlike 
particles, with a thick opalescent lavender-gray crackled glaze 
spotted with purple and madder-brown and broken by two 
splashes of blood-crimson, changing into deep crab-shell 
green, and frosted on the shoulders with brownish gray. The 
base and part of the interior are unglazed. 

Chiin type: Sung or Yiian dynasty. 
H. 4^ in. D. 51^ in. 

197 Shallow bowl of gray stoneware burnt rusty red on the foot 
rim. Crackled, opalescent glaze of misty gray-white tinged 
with lavender: splashes of purple and crimson with green and 
russet in their centers. Glaze inside the base. 

Chiin type: Sung dynasty. 
H. 134 in. D. 6^ in. 

198 Saucer dish of reddish buff stoneware and opalescent glaze, 
sparsely crackled. The color is a misty lavender-gray faintly 
frosted with brown and splashed with crimson. The base has 
a smear of brown glaze; and the numeral erh, z. (two), has been 
incised, apparently after firing. 

Chiin type: Sung or Yiian dynasty. 
0.73^ in. 

199 Saucer dish of pale buff stoneware with crackled opalescent 
glaze ending in an uneven line beside the foot rim. The color 
is lavender of varying depth faintly shot with gray, and on 
one side there is a large greenish splash shading into brown at 
the edge. 

Chiin type: Sung dynasty. 



D. 9>^ in. 



[42] 



CHUN WARE 

200 Saucer of reddish buff porcelanous ware covered with a 
crackled blue-green opalescent glaze, olive-brown where the 
glaze has run thin and with a splash bordered with brilliant 
crimson. 

Chiin ware: Yiian dynasty. 
H. I in. D. 5 in. 

201 Small plate of dark buff ware covered with a blue glaze 
clouded with brownish white and splashed with purple. 
Where the glaze has run thin the buff paste shows through. 
Chiin ware: Yiian dynasty. 

H. iX in. D. 4><in. 

202 Plate with straight sides and narrow rim. Grayish buff stone- 
ware with crackled opalescent glaze of pale lavender-gray 
sown with purple points and broken by two purple splashes 
with green frosting in the centers: the base unglazed. 
Chiin type: Yiian dynasty. 

D. S^in. 

203 Bowl of conical form with small foot and contracted mouth. 
Gray porcelanous ware with smooth opalescent glaze ending in 
an uneven line short of the base. The color inside is lavender- 
gray with pale olive tinges on the rim and in the parts where 
the glaze has run thin, small patches of purple and rusty 
brown, and large irregular crackle. On the outside the green 
and lavender pass at once into a deep purple which suffuses 
the rest of the surface. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3>^in. D. 5>^in. 

204 Bowl of conical form with small foot and slightly contracted 
mouth. Porcelanous ware burnt rusty brown in the unglazed 
parts. Smooth, finely crackled glaze of pale lavender-gray 
clouded with smoky brown and broken by purplish patches 
which have the bloom of a ripe peach. The base is partially 
glazed. 

Probably Kuan ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3 in. D. 51^ in. 

205 Globular vase with contracted mouth of yellowish buff stone- 
ware covered with a bluish gray opalescent glaze finely crack- 

[43] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

led and splashed with beautiful crimson. At the mouth, where 
the glaze runs thin, the paste shows through a pale olive. The 
foot is slightly washed with transparent glaze and splashed 
with the general glaze. 
Chiinware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3>^in. D. 4K in. 

206 Incense-burner of globular form, with spreading lip and three 
small feet. BufF porcelanous ware covered inside with a pale 
opalescent milky green glaze streaked with white. The out- 
side is crimson red streaked with lavender turning into rose 
color and becoming pale turquoise-white on the base. The 
paste shows reddish olive where the glaze has run thin. The 
base shows five spur-marks and slight accidental crackle. 
Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 4>^ in. D. 6j4 in. 

207 Bowl of conical form with small foot and contracted mouth. 
Gray porcelanous ware with opalescent and evenly crackled 
glaze. The color inside is greenish gray; outside the same 
color flushed with rose-red on one side with a slightly purplish 
border. The foot is covered with thin olive-brown glaze and 
a splash of the predominating gray-green glaze. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3^ in. D. sH in. 

208 Bowl of conical form with small foot and contracted mouth. 
Gray porcelanous ware with pitted opalescent glaze ending 
in an uneven Hne short of the base. The color inside is tur- 
quoise-green with crimson and lavender splashes, the centers 
of which have burned olive-green. The outside has also 
purple splashes with crimson edges and olive-green centers on 
a light turquoise-white opalescent ground. The foot is cov- 
ered with a light bufF glaze and has a splash of opalescent 
light turquoise glaze over it. 

Chiinware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3^ in. D. sH in. 

209-213 Set of five bowl-shaped cups with small feet and slightly 
contracted mouth rims. Porcelanous ware burnt reddish 
brown on the unglazed base. Smooth opalescent glaze thin 

[44] 



CHUN WARE 

at the edge and of pale olive tint which passes into gray- 
dappled lavender with isolated patches and large areas of 
deep purple, which is in one case slightly frosted with greenish 
brown. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. if^ in. D. 3^ in. 

214 Small, fluted vase, with pear-shaped body and spreading neck. 
Yellowish buflF porcelanous ware covered with an opalescent 
lavender glaze streaked with blue. The paste shows through a 
yellowish brown where the glaze runs thin. Foot glazed inside. 
Chiin ware: Yiian dynasty. 

H. 4 in. D. 2 in. 

215 Octagonal vase, pear-shaped, with slender neck and spreading 
mouth, covered with a thick black glaze, on a small octagonal 
stand of turquoise-blue and decorated with five dragons 
crawling up against the vase, each covered with a different 
glaze, turquoise-blue, dark indigo-blue, yellow, white, and red 
mottled with green, faintly crackled. The base is covered with 
turquoise-blue glaze and incised with the number sauy Z 
(three). The clay is sandy and grayish white. 

Soft Chiin type: Sung dynasty. 
H. 8>^in. D. 3>^in. 

216 Bottle of oviform shape with short, straight neck and wide 
mouth; of coarse dark gray stoneware browned in firing and 
covered with a dark blackish brown glaze mottled and streaked 
with blue turning through green to yellowish white. 

Chien or Chiin type: Sung dynasty. 
H. lyyi in. D. 9 in. 

217 Flower pot of deep bowl form. Grayish white porcelanous 
ware with finely striated, deep opalescent glaze of greenish 
blue color covered with brilHant purple. Inside is a dark 
greenish blue color of deep tone. The rim where the glaze has 
run thin is olive color. The base perforated by five holes is 
washed with olive-colored thin glaze and incised with the 
numeral ssu, «n> (four). 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 8 in. D. 10 in. 

[45I 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

21 8 Flower pot, companion to the above, and of the same shape. 
The finely striated deep opalescent grayish blue glaze of 
lighter color than No. 217 is more evenly covered with vivid 
dark rose in fine lines. The opalescent grayish blue interior 
shot with faint violet is also lighter in color. The rim and the 
base where the glaze is thin are olive color. The base pierced 
with five holes bears incised the numeral ssu, (^ (four). 
Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 8 in. D. 10 in. 

219 Flower pot with globular body, short neck, and low, spreading 
foot: five holes in the bottom. Grayish white porcelanous 
ware, burnt rusty red on the unglazed edge. Opalescent 
glaze of singular beauty with minute crackle, and a belt of 
"earthworm" marks on the neck. The color changes from 
pure blue-opal inside the neck through warm gray to 
purplish lavender shot with grayish white in the interior. 
On the outside the gray-flecked lavender warms into rose- 
purple with a silken iridescent bloom on one side; and on the 
other side it is strongly dappled with crimson-brown specks 
which concentrate in a deep brownish crimson patch. The 
base is washed with olive-brown and incised with the numeral 
erh, i (two). 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
W.Gli in. D. 10 in. 



220 Vase of ovoid form. Grayish white porcelanous ware with 
finely striated glaze of dark blue color heavily streaked with 
light blue and rich purple, in parts turning into deep red. 
The inside is brilliant blue streaked with turquoise-blue and 
dappled with red on the bottom. The Up where the glaze is 
thin is of olive color. The flat base shows traces of thin brown 
glaze. The center is ground down in order to eff^ace the Impe- 
rial Chinese Palace mark and the numeral pa, i\ (eight), 
which a Chinaman who knew the vase in the Imperial Collec- 
tion reported was once there. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 6y& in. D. 6 in. 

221 Flower pot of quatrefoil shape with flat rim; gray porcelanous 
earth covered inside with a blue-green opalescent glaze over- 
flowed at the top with purple, which flows down from the 

[46I 



CHUN WARE 

rim; where the glaze has run thin, ohve-brown shows through. 
Outside it is evenly covered with a mottled purple glaze full of 
'^earthworm" tracks. The base is washed with greenish olive- 
brown, perforated with five holes, and marked with the num- 
ber chiuy ii (nine). 
Chiinware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 4>^in. D. 8>^in. 



222 Bulb bowl, or flower-pot stand, moulded in six shaped lobes 
and flanged at the mouth with a six-foil rim: three cloud- 
scroll feet. Gray porcelanous ware with opalescent glaze 
which flows away from the salient parts, leaving them a pale 
olive color. The inside is a purplish lavender dappled with 
grayish white and broken by a few "earthworm" markings. 
The color outside is broken by the rounded contours of the 
moulding and changes repeatedly from pale oHve through 
dappled lavender to deep crimson. The base is washed with 
olive-brown and incised with the numeral erhy z. (two), and 
it has a ring of spur-marks. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3 in. D. 9^ in. 

223 Bulb bowl with moulded five-foil sides, flanged mouth with 
rolled edges, and three cloud-scroll feet. Gray porcelanous 
ware with thick crackled opalescent glaze having great play 
of color. Inside, it is translucent olive-green clouded and 
mottled with gray and purple and passing into crimson on the 
rim, which is frosted with crab-shell green on the edges. Out- 
side, it is mostly rose-purple dappled with lavender and gray 
and deepening into crimson and purpHsh brown. There is a 
light frosting in places. The base is washed with olive-brown 
and incised with the numeral liu, -Tv (six), and it has a ring of 
spur-marks. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2^ in. D. 834 in. 

224 Bulb bowl with sides moulded in five petal-shaped lobes, 
flanged rim of five-foil form with rolled edge, and three cloud- 
scroll feet. Gray porcelanous ware with thick opalescent 
glaze, with a cluster of "earthworm" markings in the center 

[47] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

of the interior. The color passes from light olive at the edges 
to plum-colored purple dappled and curded with greenish 
gray. The same colors appear on the outside, but the red 
tints are stronger and the gray, which runs down in milky 
waves, is deeply tinged with purple, and here and there the 
color deepens into brownish crimson. The base is washed 
with oHve-brown and incised with the numeral liu, -f^ (six), 
and it has a ring of small spur-marks. 
Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2^^in. D. 8^in. 

225 Bulb bowl or flower-pot stand, moulded in six shaped lobes 
and flanged at the mouth with a six-foil rim: three cloud-scroll 
feet. Gray porcelanous ware with opalescent glaze, which 
flows away from the salient parts, leaving them a pale olive 
color. The inside is a purpHsh lavender dappled with grayish 
white. The color outside is broken by the rounded contours 
of the moulding and changes repeatedly from pale olive to 
dappled lavender and deep crimson. The base is washed with 
olive-brown. It has a ring of spur-marks and is incised with 
the numeral chiu, ^ (nine). 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. z^in. D. 7i^in. 

226 Bulb bowl, or flower-pot stand, moulded in six shaped lobes 
and flanged at the mouth with a six-foil rim: three cloud-scroll 
feet. Gray porcelanous ware with opalescent glaze, which 
flows away from the salient parts, leaving them a pale olive 
color. The inside is a greenish lavender dappled with greenish 
white and a few splashes of purple. The rim is purple dappled 
with grayish white. The color outside is sHghtly broken by 
the rounded contours of the moulding and is dark crimson 
mottled with lavender turning in parts to greenish gray. The 
base is washed with greenish olive-brown and is incised with 
the numeral san, z. (three). 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. zy?, in. D. 9>< in. 

227 Bulb bowl of bronze form with three cloud-scroll feet: the 
exterior is bordered by two rows of studs, the upper row in- 
closed by raised bands. Grayish white porcelanous ware with 
opalescent glaze faintly crackled. The salient points where 

[48] 



CHUN WARE 

the glaze is thin are pale olive. Inside, the color is lavender- 
blue mottled and clouded with opaque grayish and greenish 
white broken by "earthworm" marks. On the exterior, the 
glaze is faintly iridescent and has a beautiful silken sheen, 
and the color is rose-purple finely flecked and shot with gray- 
ish white. On the feet it develops a deep crimson. The base is 
washed with olive-brown and incised with the numeral ssu, od 
(four), and it has a ring of spur-marks. 
Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3><in. D. 8^in. 

228 Bulb bowl of bronze shape with three cloud-scroll feet: 
bordered on the exterior with two rows of studs, the upper 
row inclosed by raised bands. Gray porcelanous ware with 
opalescent glaze, which flows away from the salient parts, 
leaving them a pale olive color. Inside, the glaze is purplish 
lavender flecked and clouded with grayish white and parted 
here and there with "earthworm" markings. On the outside, 
it changes from gray to dappled purple, developing a deep 
crimson on the lower part of the feet. The base is washed 
with dull brown and incised with the numeral pa^ X (eight), 
and it has a ring of spur-marks. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2% in. D. 6>^ in. 

229 Bulb bowl of bronze form with three cloud-scroll feet: the ex- 
terior is bordered by two rows of studs, the upper row in- 
closed by raised bands. Grayish white porcelanous ware with 
opalescent glaze faintly crackled. The salient parts where the 
glaze is thin are pale olive. Inside, the color changes from 
pale blue to a bluish violet flecked with white, surrounded by 
a greenish white ring with "earthworm" marks. On the out- 
side it passes from purple to a faint rose-red line and on the 
upper ring a faint purple turns to grayish white. The base is 
washed with olive-brown partly turning into dull red and 
incised with the numeral zvu^ l> (five), and it has a ring of 
small spur-marks. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2>^in. D.y}i'm. 

230 Bulb bowl of bronze form with three cloud-scroll feet: the 
exterior is bordered by two rows of studs, the upper row in- 

[49I 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

closed by raised bands. Gray porcelanous ware: opalescent 
glaze with mingled tints of transparent olive, gray, blue, and 
crimson, streaked and dappled, broken by "earthworm" 
markings, and faintly crackled. The glaze inside is chiefly 
purple, mottled and streaked with bluish and greenish gray. 
On the outside there is greater play of color, with wide areas 
of olive, faintly frosted with iridescent bubbles. The base is 
washed with olive-brown, incised with the numeral i, — 
(one), and it has a ring of spur-marks. 
Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3^ in. D. io>^ in. 

231 Bulb bowl of bronze form with three cloud-scroll feet; the 
exterior is bordered by two rows of studs, the upper row 
inclosed by raised bands. Gray porcelanous ware with 
opalescent glaze, with mingled tints of blue-purple and 
crimson, faintly crackled. The glaze inside is blue turning 
to green on the bottom and evenly crackled. The base is 
washed with olive-brown, incised with the numeral i, — (one), 
and it has a ring of spur-marks. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3>^ in. D. 10 in. 

232 Bulb bowl of bronze form with three cloud-scroll feet: the 
exterior is bordered by two rows of studs, the upper row in- 
closed by raised bands. Grayish white porcelanous ware with 
opalescent glaze faintly crackled. The salient parts, where the 
glaze is thin, are pale olive. Inside, the color changes from a 
pale lavender-blue flecked with white to a greenish white with 
"earthworm" marks and dappling of pale lavender. On the 
outside it passes from greenish gray to purple mottled and 
flecked with grayish white and scored with "earthworm" 
marks of many forms. On the feet it passes from pale olive 
to deep crimson flecked with coral-red. The base is washed 
with olive-brown and incised with the numeral z, — (one), 
and it has a ring of spur-marks. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3>^in. D. 9>^in. 

233 Bulb bowl, or flower-pot stand, with sides moulded in six 
petal-shaped lobes: flanged rim of wavy six-foil form rolled 
at the edge. Gray porcelanous ware with opalescent glaze 

[5°] 



CHUN WARE 

parted with "earthworm" markings. The color incised is 
dull olive frosted over with opaque gray-green, the "earth- 
worm" marks and a number of small spots disclosing a beauti- 
ful sky blue which lies below. The outside is dappled crimson 
flecked with a thin green frosting and breaking at the edges 
into greenish gray and lavender. The feet are olive-green 
passing into crimson. Dull green glaze under the base, with 
the numeral erh, n (two), incised, and a ring of spur-marks. 
Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3>^ in. D. (^yi in. 

234 Flower-pot stand of oblong, rectangular form with notched 
corners, straight sides, flanged rim, and four small cloud- 
scroll feet. Grayish white porcelanous ware with glaze of 
lavender tint more or less obscured by a gray-white froth. 
On the rim and exterior it passes into purple dappled and 
clouded with grayish white and developing passages of 
crimson on the feet. The base is washed with olive-brown 
and incised with the numeral shih, 4- (ten), and it has a ring of 
spur-marks. 

Chiin ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2 in. L. jyi in. 

235 Vase with circular body and long, straight neck ending in a 
spreading mouth contracted at the lip. The neck is decorated 
with a heavy ring and two handles in the form oi ju-i sceptres. 
The body is ornamented with two lions' heads meant to hold 
rings and an incised band of "cloud and thunder" pattern. 
Dark buff^ clay covered with finely crackled green glaze 
slightly iridescent and mottled with dashes of brownish 
purple. 

Sung dynasty. 
H. 8 in. D. 6 in. 

236 Bowl of conical form with small foot and spreading mouth. 
Dark red ware burnt black. Thick purpHsh black glaze, 
which stops in an even welt above the base, richly dappled 
with large, lustrous silvery flecks. 

Chien ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3>^ in. D. 7}4 in. 

237-239 Three bowls of conical form sHghtly compressed at 
the mouth: with small foot. Dark red ware burnt black. 

[srl 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

Thick purplish black glaze, which stops short of the base, 

finely streaked with lustrous golden brown or silver: in one 

case the brown predominates on the upper part. Silver bands 

on the mouth rims. 

These are the "hare's-fur" or "partridge" cups used in the tea 

contests and much prized in Japan, where they are named 

temmoku. 

Chien ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 2^ and 23/^ in. D. 5^^, 5, and 4^^ in. 

240 Bowl of conical form slightly compressed at the mouth : with 
small foot. Dark reddish ware burnt black. Thick purpHsh 
black glaze ending in a thick roll above the base, and finely 
streaked with lustrous golden brown, the brown dominating 
the black on the upper part. Gold band on the mouth rim. 
Chien ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 2y& in. D. 4>^ in. 

241 Bowl of conical form with slightly compressed mouth and 
small foot. Dark reddish ware burnt black, with thick black 
glaze ending in a thick roll above the base and finely streaked 
with silvery purple lines. The lip covered with a silver band. 
Chien ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 2H in. D. 4^ in. 



242 Conical bowl with rounded sides and small foot, of dark 
brown porous clay covered with an iridescent black glaze 
streaked with silvery bluish green turning to brown at the 
rim, which is covered with a metal band. 

Chien ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3 in. D. 5>^ in. 

243 Bowl of conical form slightly compressed at the mouth: with 
small foot. Dark reddish ware burnt black, with thick pur- 
plish black glaze, which stops short of the base, frosted over 
with a purplish gray. Gold band on the mouth rim. 

Chien ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2^ in. D. 4>^ in. 

244 Bowl of conical form with small foot and slightly compressed 
mouth. Dark red ware burnt black. Thick mouse-gray 

[52] 



CHUN WARE 

glaze which stops short of the base, crackled and finely mot- 
tled with brown and gray. 
Chien ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. zyi in. D. 5>^ in. 

245 Bowl of conical form with rounded sides and slightly com- 
pressed mouth. BufF-colored clay covered with a black glaze 
splashed with reddish brown. The foot is unglazed. 
Probably Northern China: Sung dynasty. 

H. 2)4 in. D. 5Xin. 

246 Bowl of conical form with straight sides and small foot. 
Porcelanous gray ware with thick purplish black glaze, 
dappled with large, irregular drops of golden brown frosted 
with green. 

Chien type: Sung dynasty or earlier. 
H. 2 in. D. 5^ in. 

247 Bowl of conical form with slightly compressed mouth and 
small foot. Light buff paste covered with reddish brown glaze 
streaked with blue-green, ending in a billowy line near the 
rim and leaving the greater part of the base uncovered. Lip 
covered with a silver band. The foot unglazed. 

Probably Northern China : Sung dynasty. 
H. 2>< in. D. 5>^ in. 

248 Bowl of conical form slightly compressed at the mouth : with 
small foot. Buff ware burnt brownish red; covered with 
coffee-brown glaze faintly streaked with blue-green and ending 
in a blue pool at the bottom of the cup. 

Northern China: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2^4 in. D. 5 in. 

249 Bowl of conical form with straight sides and small foot. 
Porcelanous gray ware having thick purplish black glaze 
with a few flecks of golden brown. Inside is a design of a 
skeleton leaf expressed in frothy golden brown and green. 
Metal band on mouth rim. 

Chien type: Sung dynasty or earlier. 
H. 2yi in. D. 6 in. 

250 Bowl of conical form, slightly compressed at the mouth: with 
small foot. Grayish stoneware burnt brown. Thick purplish 

[53] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

black glaze streaked and dappled with golden brown in which 

are a number of plum blossom reserves. Gold band on the 

mouth rim. 

Chien type, probably Northern China: Sung dynasty. 

H. 2^ in. D. 4f^ in. 

251 Bowl of conical form slightly compressed at the mouth: with 
small foot. Buff stoneware with thick black glaze mottled 
outside with large irregular flecks of dull green. The inside is 
thickly freckled with dull green in which are reserved two 
phoenixes {feng huang) and three flowers. 

Chien type, Northern China: probably Sung dynasty. 
H. 2^/i in. D. 4^ in. 

252 Bowl of shallow, wide-mouthed form. Gray porcelanous ware 
burnt reddish brown at the base, which is unglazed. Olive- 
green celadon glaze frosted and stained with brown and inter- 
rupted inside the bowl by a broad ring which is almost bare of 
glaze. Inside, a square seal has been stamped through the 
glaze, bearing the characters t'ien (heaven) hsin (heart). 
Probably northern Chinese: Sung dynasty, 

H. 2 in. D. 5Hin. 



[54] 



LUNG-CH'UAN WARE OR CELADON 

253 Vase of rectangular form with pear-shaped outline and wide 
mouth: two square tubular handles. The body is a dark 
reddish brown ware of close, hard texture; and the glaze is 
thick, sparsely crackled, and of misty gray color warmed by 
the red tinge, which is partly due to the underlying clay 
appearing through it. The mouth is brown at the edge, where 
the glaze is thin. The base is hollow and pierced with two 
holes for a cord which would pass through the tubular handles 
above. There are large flaws on one side where the glaze has 
halted in its flow and congealed in large drops; and a few 
smaller flaws of the same kind occur elsewhere. This vase 
seems to correspond closely with the fen ch'ing colored type of 
Kuan ware, described in Chinese books as having a "brown 
mouth and iron foot," and a faint tinge of red in the glaze. 
Kuan or Ko ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 16 in. D. ii>< in. 

254 Vase, bottle-shaped, with pendulous body and wide, tapering 
neck: low foot with two openings at the sides. Dark red- 
brown stoneware with thick smooth glaze of clair-de-lune 
gray with wide-meshed irregular crackle of brown color. 
Under the base the glaze has run in thick, rounded folds like 
congealed fat. 

Probably Ko ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 13^ in. D. 8>^in. 

255 Tall vase of oviform body with long, spreading neck. Grayish 
white porcelanous ware covered with olive-green celadon 
glaze, with metal bands where the three pieces of which the 
original consists join. The lowest division is regularly crack- 
led; the two top ones are not. At the foot the earth has 

[55] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

slightly reddened and the base is covered with crackled celadon 

glaze. 

Lung ch'uan ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 32>^ in. D. I2>^ in. 

256 Vase with ovoid body, tall cylindrical neck with spreading 
mouth, and slightly spreading base. Gray-white porcelanous 
ware burnt rusty brown at the raw edge of the base and 
covered with a beautiful gray-green celadon glaze of faint 
bluish tone. On the body is a bold peony scroll in relief, and 
below it a belt of stiff plantain leaves carved in relief. On the 
neck are three peony sprays in relief between two bands of 
wheel-made ridges. The mouth has a metal band. 
Lung-ch'iian ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. ig^ in. D. 11 in. 

257 Baluster-shaped vase of gray-white porcelanous ware red- 
dened in the firing. Covered with fine grayish green celadon 
glaze. Decorated with a band of flowering branches; ribbed 
on the neck and fluted on the lower part. A waster found on 
the spot of the Lung-ch'iian kilns. 

Lung-ch'iian ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. g^ in, D. ^yi in. 

258 Fluted bowl of gray-white porcelanous ware, reddened in the 
fire. Covered with a fine blue-green celadon glaze. A waster 
found on the site of the Lung-ch'iian kilns. 

Lung-ch'iian ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. S}i in. D. sH in. 

259 Vase and cover of grayish white porcelanous v/are reddened 
in the fire and covered with smooth gray-green glaze. Deco- 
rated with a dragon moulded in the round and encircling the 
neck; around the base is a band of formal leaves; on the 
cover is a squatting bird. 

Lung-ch'iian ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 9^in. D. 5 in. 

260 Pot; low, barrel-shaped. Grayish white porcelanous ware 
burnt red in the firing and covered with a blue-green trans- 
parent glaze accidentally crackled and decorated with a 
moulded pattern of a formal scroll of flowers and leaves 

[ 56 ] 



LUNG-CH'UAN WARE OR CELADON 

between two rows of knobs; simulated mask and ring handles. 
Lung-ch'iian ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 6}i in. D. 9>^ in. 

261 Incense-burner of hard porcelanous ware burned red in the 
firing. Covered with a beautifully crackled blue-green glaze. 
Lung-ch'iian ware: Sung dynasty. 

Yi. 2)H in. D. 5^ in. 

262 Shallow bowl with straight sides; of grayish white porcelanous 
ware, covered with beautiful bluish green celadon glaze. A 
waster found on the site of the Lung-ch'iian kilns. 
Lung-ch'iian ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. i}i in. D. sH in. 

263 Shallow bowl with gracefully fluted exterior. Gray porce- 
lanous ware burnt brown at the foot rim. The glaze is ice- 
green celadon with complex crackle, and the surface has a dull 
lustre and the texture of sugar icing. 

Sung dynasty: perhaps Tung Ching ware made near K'ai- 
feng Fu. 
D. 6y& in. 

264 Bowl of conical shape, slightly rounded; light gray paste with 
dull gray-green glaze over white slip. 

Northern Chinese: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2 in. D. 5^ in. 

265 Cup of conical shape with small foot. Grayish white porce- 
lanous ware, reddened in the firing and covered with a beauti- 
ful smooth gray-green glaze. 

Lung-ch'iian ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2 in. D. 5 in. 

266 Fluted bowl. Gray-bufFware covered with a thick green glaze, 
regularly crackled; at the Hp the clay has darkened in the 
firing and shows through the glaze. 

Celadon: Sung dynasty. 
H. 4X in. D. 9>^ in. 

267 Bowl of conical form with small foot. Gray porcelanous ware 
with olive-green celadon glaze faintly clouded with gray. 

[57] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

Inside is a boldly carved scroll with a large peony flower and 
foliage. A wheel-made ring on the outside below the mouth. 
Probably northern Chinese: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3>^in. D. 8 in. 

268 Bowl of globular form with spreading lip; the outside deco- 
rated with lotus leaves carved in the dark gray paste. A white 
slip was applied under the transparent olive-green glaze. 
Corean or northern Chinese: Sung dynasty. 

H. 2>^ in. D. 5^ in. 

269 Fluted bowl of conical form, slightly curved sides, and small 
foot. Light gray porcelanous earth turned brown-red in the 
firing and covered with an olive-green celadon glaze. 
Lung-ch'iian ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 3>^in. D. 8 in. 

270 Bowl of conical form with gently rounded sides and small foot. 
Gray porcelanous ware burnt red on the base rim. Beautiful 
ice-like glaze of deep celadon green with olive tone, sparsely 
crackled. The exterior is carved in shallow relief with petals 
suggesting a lotus flower. This bowl was excavated in 
Rhages, Persia. 

Lung-ch'iian ware: Sung dynasty. 
H.4>^in. D. 9>^in. 

271 Fluted bowl of gray porcelanous earth covered with gray- 
green celadon. Found in Rhages, Persia, and dating in con- 
sequence from before the destruction of that town in 1256. 
Lung-ch'iian ware: Sung dynasty. 

H. 4 in. D. 8 in. 

272 Celadon shard of gray porcelanous earth covered with a gray- 
green celadon glaze; in design and texture almost exactly 
like 271. Found on the site of the Lung-ch'uan kilns and 
brought over by Mrs. Rose Sickler Williams. 
Lung-ch'iian ware: Sung dynasty. 

273 Wine pot: globular, on three feet with erect handle in the 
form of a dragon ridden by a child (or demon). Grayish 

[58] 



LUNG-CH'iJAN WARE OR CELADON 

white porcelanous ware carved with design of phoenixes and 
foHage and covered with a brown-green transparent glaze. 
Lung-ch'iian ware: Sung dynasty, 
H., with handle, 8 X in. D. 6>^ in. 

274 Bowl of rounded shape with straight sides on a high foot. 
Hard gray ware covered with green glaze. Inside is a moulded 
design of figures in three panels; both inside and outside, a 
"cloud and thunder" border. 

Lung-ch'iian ware: Yiian dynasty. 
H. 4>^in. D. 6>^in. 

275 Bowl of conical form with wide mouth and small foot, the 
sides gently curving. Grayish porcelanous ware with orna- 
ment moulded in shallow relief under a transparent green 
celadon glaze of brownish tint which has run into a pool at the 
bottom inside. In the center is a geometrical quatrefoil 
design inclosing stiff fohage, surrounded by four formal 
flowers and leaves. Border of ovals inclosing lozenges. The 
outside is scored with radiating vertical lines. 

Probably northern Chinese: Yiian dynasty. 
H. 3 in. D. 7>^ in. 

276-277 Pair of bowls of shallow conical form with small foot and 
wide mouth. Bufi^ porcelanous ware with olive-green celadon 
glaze. The interiors are carved with a beautiful design of 
peony flowers and foliage shaded with combed lines. One has 
foliage on the exterior: sand-marks under the base. 
This kind of ware is nearly related in style to the Corean. 
Probably northern Chinese: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2 in. D. 6% in. 

278 Wine jar with broad ovoid body, short neck, and wide mouth: 
the bottom is formed by a saucer which has been dropped into 
place, held in by the curve of the sides, and secured by the 
glaze. Gray porcelanous ware burnt rusty brown at the raw 
edges of the mouth and base. Celadon glaze with complex 
crackle: a wide straight mesh inclosing a small, irregular net- 
work of faint lines. The color inside is greenish gray with a 
tinge of blue; outside it is jade-green, and the surface is 
softened by decay. 
Lung-ch'iian ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 10^ in. D. i3>^ in. 

[59] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

279 Shallow bowl. Gray porcelanous ware burnt red at the foot 
rim. The glaze is green celadon of bluish tinge. In the bottom 
of the bowl two unglazed fishes have been burnt a dark brown. 
Lung-ch'iian ware: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2 in. D. 6% in. 



280 Small, pear-shaped jar with wide mouth. Hard gray porce- 
lanous ware burnt red and covered with crackled gray glaze. 
Celadon type: Sung dynasty. 
H. 2^ in. D. 3^ in. 



[60] 



I 



COREAN WARE 

281 Bottle with globular body and tall, slender neck of cylindrical 
form with a ring at the top. Gray porcelanous ware with 
inlaid ornament in white and black under a greenish gray 
celadon glaze faintly frosted with brown. On the sides are 
four sprays of alternating lotus and chrysanthemum; on the 
shoulder is a ju-i border; and there is a narrow band of key- 
fret at the mouth and an incised border of leaf and tongue 
pattern at the base. 

Corean: Korai period. 
H. 13 in. D. 6}4 in. 

282 Ewer of double gourd form with long spout and twisted handle 
with knot-shaped ring. Gray porcelanous ware burnt red at 
the base: sparsely crackled celadon glaze covering lightly 
incised designs of lotus flowers on each side and cloud-scrolls 
on the neck. 

Corean: Korai period. 

H. 13 in. D., with spout and handle, 9 in. 

283 Ewer with pear-shaped body slightly flattened on the shoul- 
ders and moulded in shallow vertical lobes, plain spout, 
and grooved handle with ring to attach the cover. The latter 
is surmounted by a lotus flower, the petals modeled in full 
relief, in which a bird has settled. Gray porcelanous ware with 
crackled gray-green celadon glaze slightly frosted with brown. 
On the shoulders are lightly etched floral sprays. Spur-marks 
beneath. 

Corean: Korai period. 

H. io>^ in. D., with spout and handle, 7 in. 

284 Vase of oval form with small neck and low, cup-shaped mouth. 
Gray porcelanous ware of fine texture, burnt red at the base 

[61] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

and ornamented with a beautiful carved design under a soft 
greenish gray celadon glaze of bluish tone: two phoenixes 
ifeng huang) in a peony scroll with etched details covering the 
entire surface. 
Corean: Korai period. 
H. II in. D. y}i in. 

285 Baluster-shaped vase with small, short neck; of gray porce- 
lanous ware with inlaid decoration of flying herons and clouds, 
and covered with a green-gray celadon glaze. 

Corean: Korai period. 
H. 13X in. D. yyi in. 

286 Vase and stand, the former of globular form with short, straight 
neck and narrow mouth. Gray porcelanous ware with inlaid 
ornament in white and black under a partially crackled gray- 
green celadon glaze lightly frosted with brown. On the 
sides are three large phoenixes {feng huang) with scrolled 
tails and three peony sprays between. Sand-marks under- 
neath. The stand is saucer-shaped, with a raised ring in 
which the vase fits, and four feet, each ornamented with a 
lion mask. 

Corean: Korai period. 

H. 8 in. D. of vase, 8 X in. Total H. 1 1 >^ in. 

287 Wine pot with ovoid body, grooved handle with twig-shaped ring 
and Greek palmette attachment, spout with lotus-leaf mould- 
ing, and lotus-flower cover. Gray porcelanous ware with soft 
greenish gray celadon glaze, lightly crackled. On the body is 
a bold melon-vine scroll with large leaves, small blossoms, and 
tendrils reserved in a dark gray-green ground: the details 
throughout are finely etched in the paste. The cover has 
radiating scrolls inlaid in white. Spur-marks beneath. 
Corean: Korai period. 

H. 7 in. D., with spout and handle, 8^ in. 

288 Wine pot with oval, melon-shaped body, plain spout, grooved 
handle with twig-shaped ring, and lotus-pattern cover. Gray 
porcelanous ware with inlaid ornament in white and black 
under a smooth greenish gray glaze of bluish tone. Lotus 
and chrysanthemum designs alternate on each lobe: below is a 

[62] 



I 



COREAN WARE 

border of carved leaf and tongue pattern, and on the shoulder 

is a band of petal ornament inlaid. 

Corean: Korai period. 

H. 8j4 in. D., with spout and handle, 8>^ in. 

289 Bottle with pear-shaped body, tall tapering neck, and spread- 
ing mouth. Gray porcelanous ware with inlaid ornament in 
white and black under a smooth greenish gray celadon glaze 
of bluish tone, sparsely crackled and frosted in places by 
decay. On the body are four medallions of lotus and chrys- 
anthemum designs: between them are pendants of small 
circles hanging from a band of similar circles, the spaces filled 
with chrysanthemum sprays. Below is a border of lotus pet- 
als, and above a band of chrysanthemum flowers. On the 
neck are four tapering scrolls and a wave border. 

Corean: Korai period. 
H. 14 in. D. 8 in. 

290 Bulbous bottle with short neck and two small ring handles; 
of grayish porcelanous ware turned red in firing, with incised 
formal design and ribbed body covered with transparent 
celadon glaze. 

Corean: Korai period. 
H. 6 in. D. 



291 Bottle in the form of a floating duck; dark gray paste red- 
dened in the fire, covered with white slip in which the lines of 
the feathers and wings have been incised, the whole covered by 
a beautiful gray-green glaze, finely crackled. 

Corean or northern Chinese. 
L. 7}4 in. 

292 Bowl: flat, bulbous, with wide, flaring rim. Gray porcelanous 
ware decorated inside with an engraved design of six flowers 
and a border of thunder pattern under a smooth gray-green 
celadon glaze of bluish tinge. Six spur-marks under the 
covered base. 

Corean: Korai period. 
H. 3>^ in. D. 7>^ in. 

293 Bowl with small, flat foot and rounded sides. Gray porcela- 
nous ware covered with a gray-green celadon glaze of bluish 

[63] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

tinge. In parts covered with unintentional and large crackle. 
Three spur-marks under the covered base. 
Corean: Korai period. 
H. 3 in. D. 8>^in. 

294 Bowl of conical shape with rounded sides of hard bufF ware 
covered with a bluish green transparent celadon glaze. Out- 
side decorated with double rows of carved lotus leaves. The 
foot, covered with glaze, has three spur-marks. 
Corean: Korai period. 
U.634in. D. 3Xin. 

295 White bowl of conical form with small foot. Thin porcelanous 
ware, burnt red at the unglazed base. Inside is engraved a 
design of boys and shell-like scrolls. Greenish transparent 
glaze, lightly crackled. 
Corean: Korai period. 
H. 2>^in. D. 8 in. 

296 Bowl with foot rim and slightly rounded sides. Gray porce- 
lanous ware covered with a light brown celadon glaze evenly 
crackled. Decorated inside with a carved band of dragons 
and a lotus flower on the bottom. Three spur-marks on the 
covered base. 
Corean: Korai period. 
H. 3^ in. D. 6 in. 

297 Saucer of white porous porcelanous ware with a thin greenish 
glaze, the broad rim unglazed. Decorated with slip design, | 
ducks and fishes in a lotus pond. The thinly glazed base 
without spur-marks, fired right side up. 
Corean: Korai period. 
H. lyi in. D. sH in. 

298 Saucer of white porcelanous earth with concave bottom and 
rim left unglazed. Covered with a white transparent glaze 
and decorated with a simple design of a dolphin. Found in 
Corea. 

Pai Ting ware: Korai period. 
H. I in. D. 5^ in. 

299 Ewer with melon-shaped body, high neck contracted in the 
middle, long spout, and flat handle with grooved edges and a 

[64] 



COREAN WARE 

ring at the top. White porcelanous ware of porous-looking 
texture with thick cream-white glaze of Ting type, slightly- 
crackled. A wheel-made ring on the neck below the lip. 
Sand-marks beneath. 

This type belongs to the class of haku-gorai, or "white Corean." 
Corean: Korai period. 
H. 8^ in. D., with spout and handle, 5>^ in. 

300 Vase with oval, melon-shaped body, high neck with wide 
flaring mouth, and low foot moulded with leaf and tongue 
pattern. On the neck is a reeded band of slender leaf and 
tongue pattern. Translucent white porcelain with porous- 
looking body and pearly white glaze faintly browned by age. 
This rare and singularly beautiful vase recalls both Greek and 
Egyptian pottery in the details of its design. 

Corean: Korai period. 
H. io)4 in. D. 6 in. 

301 Dish in the shape of a six-petaled flower. Translucent white 
porcelanous ware entirely covered, except at parts of the rim, 
with a creamy white glaze showing the Ting tear drops. Fired 
right side up, but showing no sign of spur-marks though the 
base is entirely glazed. 

Corean: Korai period. 
H. i}i in. D. 6^ in. 

302 Small pot with cover of gray porcelanous ware with a smooth 
gray-green celadon glaze of bluish tinge. Three spur-marks 
under the partly covered base. 

Corean: Korai period. 
W. i}i in. D. 3 in. 



303 Bowl: conical with rounded sides; hard gray ware covered 
with a double slip, one rose-pink, the other white, and a green- 
ish thin transparent glaze: inside, three spur-marks. 
Tz'u-chou type: Sung dynasty. 
H. 3 in. D. y/d, in. 



[6s] 



SCULPTURE AND BRONZES 

304 Vase with two rows of figures in relief, representing mourners 
with a coffin, a table of offerings, and musicians. Hard gray- 
ish white stoneware fired dark reddish brown, with black 
glaze mottled and streaked with brown. 

Probably Wei dynasty. 
H. 7>^ in. D. 6 in. 

305 Pair of clasped hands, probably from an over-life-size Lohan. 
Hard, fine, yellowish white earth on a core of rough reddish 
clay. Greenish white, thin, finely crackled glaze with brown 
weather stains. 

Ascribed to the T'ang dynasty. 
H. 7 in. D. 4>^ in. 

306-307 Two figures of seated Lohans. Of reddish buff soft ware, 
covered with white slip and green and yellow glazes, the green 
finely crackled and in parts iridescent. 
Attributed to the T'ang dynasty. 
H. 9>^in. W. 5>^in. 

308 Horse's head: dark gray earth fired red and unglazed. 
Han dynasty. 

H. 8^ in. D. II in. 

309 Cock: reddish brown heavy clay, with no trace of glaze. 
Early Han dynasty. 

H. 6>^in. D. 7 in. 

3 10 Boar: gray clay without traces of glazing. 
Early Han dynasty. 

H. 5>^ in. D. 9>^ in, 

[66] 



SCULPTURE AND BRONZES 

311 Prehistoric animal of soft reddish clay covered with white slip; 
the glaze has altogether disappeared. 

Early Han dynasty, 
H. 4>^ in. D. 7 in. 

312 Rabbit of hght buff clay, no sHp, the glaze entirely disin- 
tegrated. 

Early Han dynasty. 
H. 4^ in. D. 71^ in. 

313 Lion of buff clay covered with white slip, with traces of 
painting; the glaze has disappeared. 

Han dynasty. 

H. 2 in. D. 4^ in. 

314 Figure of a pawing horse, richly caparisoned, with saddle 
covered by a floating saddle-cloth. Traces of unfired coloring. 
Han dynasty. 

H. 151^ in. 

315 Tomb figure: a tall lady with hands joined under a long scarf; 
of light buff soft ware slightly baked and decorated with 
unfired colors. 

Han dynasty. 

H. 12 in. D. 3 in. 

316 Tomb figure: a tall lady made of light soft ware slightly 
baked and decorated with unfired black lines. 

Han dynasty. 

H. 10 in. D. 3 in. 

317 Pair of tomb figures, each representing a tall lady with a 
green dress and orange scarf. Light buff clay slightly baked, 
the colors unfired. 

Han dynasty. 
Each: H. io>^ in. 

318 Tomb figure: a lady sitting on the ground; of fine white clay 
covered with thin yellow glaze slightly fired and with a ribbon 
painted in brilliant red. 

Han dynasty. 
H. sK in. 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

319 Tomb figure: a lady with long, flowing robes and curious 
horned head-dress, playing on a cymbal. Traces of unfired 
coloring. 

Han dynasty. 

H. 6% in. D. 3^ in. 

320 Running pig of white marble. 
Han dynasty. 

H. lyi in. D. 4>^ in. 

321 Figure of a seated kylin: stone of slate and yellow-brown 
color. 

Han dynasty. 

Y{. iiyi in. D. 7 in. 

322 Figure of Kuan Yin, with richly ornamented halo and crown, 
seated on a throne beneath a conventionalized bo tree. Rect- 
angular pedestal decorated in relief with adoring children on 
lotus flowers in a lotus pond. White marble with traces of 
polychromy. 

Wei dynasty. 

H. 13 in. D. 6>^in. 

323 Stone sculpture in the form of a small stele. On the front is a 
seated Buddha with an ornamental halo incised with Buddha 
figures; beside him are two attendants on lotus buds. The 
back of the stele is decorated with incised designs in three 
rows, the upper one containing two figures making off^erings 
to a central figure seated on a throne, the two lower ones, 
figures in arches. On the sides of the stele are dragons in low 
relief; the top has been broken off. 

The inscription puts the date as 485 A. D. 

Wei dynasty. 

H. 12 in. W. 7 in. 

324 Statue of Narayiien, protector of Buddha; white marble. 
T'ang dynasty. 

H. 26 in. 

325 Standing figure of Buddha in white marble, the archaic folds 
of drapery showing strong Indian influence. 

T'ang dynasty. 

H. 4i^in. |-58] 



\ 



SCULPTURE AND BRONZES 

326 White marble Buddha; standing figure in a simply draped 
robe; the hands are in the position of encouragement. 

T'ang dynasty. 
H. 38 in. 

327 Black marble figure of Kuan Yin, richly dressed and jeweled. 
She holds in her left hand a lotus blossom, in her right a vase, 
and stands upon a double lotus throne. 

Wei dynasty. 
H. 44 in. 

328 Stone figure of Kuan Yin, standing on a lotus throne holding in 
her hand a lotus flower; sculptured in full relief. 

Wei dynasty. 

H. 27in. W. 8^in. 

329 Stone figure of an adoring Bodhisattva kneeling with clasped 
hands on a double lotus throne. 

T'ang dynasty. 
H. ^^y2 in. 

330 Stone slab, probably an altar frontal, carved in relief and 
pierced. In the center four Bodhisattvas standing on lotus 
flowers uphold and adore a lotus bud partly in the shape of an 
Indian stupa surmounted by a phoenix with halo and out- 
spread wings. On the sides two haloed warriors are standing, 
one on two lions, the other on a tiger and a ram. Between 
these in each of two openwork panels two kneeling saints hold 
flaming jewels, while the space above these panels is filled 
in with rows of sitting figures in beaded circles and elaborate 
framework. The piece shows strong Indian and Persian 
influence. 

T'ang dynasty. 

H. 23 3^ in. L. 7 ft. 7>^in. 

331 Two stone slabs each elaborately carved with architectural 
border above a row of eight circles with beaded and carved 
frames, each circle containing a sitting figure. The figures 
show strong Persian influence and the style of both pieces is 
very like that of No. 330, although they do not fit the piece. 
T'ang dynasty. 

H. 7>^in. L. 37>^in. 

[69] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

332 Semicircular stone slab on which is engraved a scene represent- 
ing Buddha on a throne under a canopy preaching in a palm 
grove to a large gathering of Bodhisattvas, guardians of the 
lower world, angels, priests, and demons. The lower part is 
covered with a beautiful band of scrollwork. 

T'ang dynasty. 

H. 34in. L. 4 ft. 6>^in. 

333 Square stone slab carved with circular medallion containing a 
design, a seated Kuan Yin after Wu Tao Tzu, and three 
inscriptions translated as follows: 

At the right: the picture of Buddha incised on stone was 
among the treasures of the Emperor Tai Tsung, of the T'ang 
dynasty. Together with the "Six Horses" and the "Chao 
Ling" picture, it was deposited in an old resting-place at Ku 
Kou. A farmer found it, and, thinking that it was only a 
square stone, took it home and gave it to his daughter as a 
stone on which she could wash clothes. She observed that the 
reflected light from the stone filled her whole room, and she 
continued to polish it until it was like gold. It became a 
family treasure, and she hid it away from those who came 
asking to see it. After I became Magistrate of this district, I 
found this stone in the village ot Hsi Han. I presented it to 
the Pao Ning Temple on the fifteenth day of the ninth moon of 
the Kuei Mao year of K'ang Hsi (second year) — (A. D. 1663). 

(Signed) Hsii K'ai-hsi, of Ho Hsui. 
At the bottom: 
Namah Kuan Shih Yin 
In the beginning is Buddha 
In the end is Buddha 

Buddha and his Law have made me eternally happy in my 
serenity. 

In the morning I think of Buddha 
In the evening I think of Buddha 
All my thoughts flow from my fortunate fate 
In my rising thoughts Buddha is ever in my mind. 
When I was wrapped in swaddling clothes and lost my beloved 
father I inquired in what way I could rescue him from purga- 
tory and bring him to the heavenly heights. There was no 
other way than that of Buddha. 

Recently I have acquired two pictures by Wu Tao Tsu of the 
T'ang dynasty. I gave instructions to have them copied on 

[70] 



SCULPTURE AND BRONZES 

stone by artisans, and have written a laud at the side of the 
pictures to perpetuate the record of them. 
My desire is that all who see this picture and read my com- 
mendation of it should be spared the bitter experience of losing 
a father in youth, 

Hsiao Sheng, 2nd year (A. D. 1095), Tsing Ming (Easter 
Day). 

Written by Chao Hung, of Tien Hsui District. 
Carved by Wei Ming, of Ch'i Yang. 
At the left: a holy laud in praise of Kuan Shih Yin. 
Sung dynasty. 1095 ^- D. 
Square, 20 >^ in. 

334 Large fish bowl: semi-globular with flat lip and four mask and 
ring handles. Decorated inside with swimming ducks, fishes, 
and tortoises in relief; outside with three horizontal bands of 
ornament showing archaic hunting scenes separated by narrow 
bands of formal ornament. The decoration is incised and the 
incisions filled with a whitish paste. The handles are in the 
form of monster heads and the rings have incised ornament; 
around the foot rim is a plaited cord in relief. 

Tsin dynasty, found in Si-An-Fu. 
H. II in. D. 20 in. 

335 Bronze sacrificial vessel called *'Yi." Deep body, wide 
mouth, four hollow cast handles surmounted by horned 
heads and with square drops. Body boldly decorated with 
Chou ornaments representing a head. Around the base an 
ornament of dragons in pairs repeated four times. Inscription 
incised in the bottom. Areas within and without of mirror- 
like surface. 

Chou dynasty. 

H. SXin. D. 9>^in. 

336 Bronze sacrificial vessel called "Yi." Deep body, wide mouth, 
two loop handles with drops surmounted by rams' heads. 
Ram's head mask on each side amidst Chou ornament in 
shape of a dragon. Inscription on the bottom. 

Chou dynasty. 

H. 6K in. D. 9 in. 

337 Bronze sacrificial vessel, called "Yi," with two handles in the 
shape of peacocks. The body is decorated with Chou orna- 

[71] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

ment suggesting a face; the upper band, with archaic dragons. 
The bottom is curiously decorated with an animalistic design. 
The patina is bronze gilt with dark green and crimson corro- 
sion. Inscription of eight letters on the bottom. 
Chou dynasty. 
H. 5Kin. D. yin. 

338 Bronze vase in the shape of a bottle of flat, circular form with 
short, round neck and square base. On the neck are loop 
handles and silver inlaid rings. Covered all over with a 
symmetrical pattern of silver inlay. 

Han dynasty. 

H. 12% in. D. II in. 

339 Bronze sacrificial vessel called "Lai," of quadrilateral bulbous 
shape, square base and neck, with two ring and mask handles. 
The flat cover, with chamfered edges and surmounted by four 
erect rings, serves as a saucer. The ornament which covers 
the whole surface in geometrical design is inlaid with pieces of 
malachite stuck in a kind of composition; other parts are 
filled with bent and hammered metallic wire. The handles in 
the shape of dragons' heads are beautifully cast. 

Han dynasty: found in 191 3 in a ruined tomb near Yu-Ling- 

Fu, Shensi. 

H. 20^ in. D. io}i in. 

340 Bronze sacrificial vessel "Lai," in the shape of an eagle. The 
surface is covered with a beautiful incised ornament, the eyes 
inlaid with gold, as are four letters of early form on the comb. 
The beak is hinged so as to serve as a spout. From Tai-Yuan- 
Fu. 

Late Chou dynasty. 
H. iQi^ in. D. 9 in. 

341 Libation vessel in the form of a low, broad ewer, having at one 
end a handle in the shape of a horned monster and at the other 
a short spout. The vessel stands on three feet and has a 
flat, detached cover with a circular band of incised scrollwork; 
similar bands of ornament with a pointed edge border the 
Hp and spout. The handle is moulded in relief and set with 
small turquoises. On the upper surface of the spout is a 
monster's head in low relief. The surface is covered with a 

[72] 



SCULPTURE AND BRONZES 

beautiful green patina of lacquer-like smoothness with a 

slight incrustation. 

Chou dynasty. 

H. 8>^in. D. I2>^in. 

342 Sarcophagus in reduced size, of gilt bronze: on a terrace with 
an openwork fence stands an altar supported by four guar- 
dians. Upon this is a coffin with overhanging Hd, decorated 
on the sides with dragons on clouds and a tiger; at the head 
is the red bird (of the morning), at the foot coiled serpents. 
Inside is a smaller coffin, also gilt, undecorated. 

T'ang dynasty. 
H. 14 in. L. 13 in. 

343 Masque of bronze gilt in the shape of a door knocker; sup- 
posed to be a coffin ornament. Horned dragon head holding 
in its mouth a ring formed by two dragons holding the sacred 
jewel. 

T'ang dynasty. 

L. I3^in. D. Sin. 



[73 



APPENDIX 



KLRAMIC WARES Ob THL SUNG DYNASTY 

hY 
POSE SICKLKP WILLIAMS 



INTRODUCTION 

IN presenting the following work to the public, the author 
desires to state that the period assigned for research, 
on a subject of such magnitude, was brief. It also was 
coincidental with the "Second Revolution" in China, and 
conditions have been somewhat unfavourable to scientific 
research. Nevertheless, it is believed that valuable sources 
of information have been unearthed, from which yet greater 
knowledge may be expected in the future. 

The sincerest thanks of the author are due to the many 
friends who have aided in her investigations, both by submit- 
ting their collections for examination and by contributing 
information. The list is too long to be published; but special 
mention should be made of H. I. H. Prince P'u-lun, H. E. 
T'ang Shao-yi, H. E. Sheng Hsiian-huai, (Chao) Ch'ing 
K'uan, Hon. King Kung-pah of Peking, Dr. Chao S. Bok of 
Tangshan Engineering College, Mr. Chun Chik-yu of Hong- 
kong, and Mr. Kuan Mien-chiin of Peking. The unfailing and 
painstaking courtesy and kindness of these men, and their 
deep interest in the ancient arts of their country, promise 
much for the future of antiquarian research in China. 

Hearty thanks are also due to Dr. Morrison for the free use 
of his unique library, which, we believe, contains practically 
all the books and pamphlets that have been published in 
English and French on the subject of Chinese pottery. 

The native works consulted are the Hsiang Yiian-p'ien 

[79] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

Catalogue (in the original and in Dr. Bushell's translation), 
the T'ao Lu (in the original and in the French of Julien), the 
T'ao Shuo, and the Ko Ku Yao Lun. Citations from other 
Chinese works, which will be found in the text, are quoted 
in those above mentioned. 

Among English writers consulted are Hirth, Bushell, 
Brinkley, Hippisley, and Hobson. 



[80] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 
THE SUNG PERIOD 

THE Sung dynasty was established in 960 a.d. byChao 
K'uang-yin, who adopted the dynastic title of T'ai Tsu. 
His great task was to consoUdate the empire after the 
confusion and miHtary despotism of the Wu Tai, or Five 
Dynasties. During his reign, and that of his brother and 
successor Tai Tsung, this was fairly well accomplished, but 
the Empire of the Sungs was never at peace. The Kitan 
Tartars encroached upon it from the northeast, and the 
Kingdom of Hsia, led by a pretender of the imperial family, 
from the northwest. The Sungs were not successful warriors. 
They pursued a policy of compromise and retreat, some- 
times making ignominious terms with their enemies, and 
finally, in 1126-27, falling back to the south of the Yangtse 
River and leaving the north in the possession of the Kin Tar- 
tars. Here, with the great river as a barrier, though still 
continually harassed by their enemies, they managed to 
maintain themselves on the throne until 1278. 

But it is not with their military vicissitudes that we have 
to do. What interests us is that, in spite of these, they 
succeeded in making their period a golden age in China in 
philosophy, art, and literature. They produced the great 
historian Ssu-ma Kuang; the socialist reformer Wang An- 
shih, who lived to see his system cast down and discredited, 
but whose spirit still goes marching on; Chu Hsi, whose 
commentaries on the classical writings have been the standard 
of orthodoxy ever since his time; the inspired poet, states- 

[81] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

man, and philosopher Su Tung-p'ei; the prince of painters 
Li Lung-mien ; and a whole galaxy of immortals who may not 
be mentioned here. To the honour of the Sung rulers let 
it be said that, during their entire period, every phase of cul- 
ture blossomed and bore fruit under the sunshine of imperial 
patronage. It was during their time that the Chinese potter 
rose from the rank of artisan to that of artist, and it is with 
this achievement that we have chiefly to deal. 

CHINESE POTTERY BEFORE THE SUNG PERIOD 

For the keramic products of the Chou and Han, see "Chinese 
Pottery of the Han Dynasty," by Berthold Laufer. This 
work is based on personal investigations made by the author 
from 1901 to 1904. The pieces described were mainly collected 
in Hsi-an Fu, province of Shensi, where they had been dug 
from graves of the Han period. They are all of the earthen- 
ware class, and the prevailing glaze is green. 

Since Laufer's work was published, very extensive and 
important finds have been made, chiefly along the line of the 
Pien-Loh Railway in Honan. Peking is flooded with these 
specimens, as well as with clever imitations encouraged by 
the demand for the originals. The collection of these articles 
has become quite a vogue, both with Chinese and foreigners. 
They are well worthy the careful consideration of an expert, 
and demand a volume to themselves. Native connoisseurs 
believe that the Honan finds date from the Han downward 
through the Sung and Yiian, and hold that, in a general way, 
it is possible to approximate the date by the costuming of 
human figures, the character of the glazes, etc. Laufer's 
work does not give any human figures, and gives but a sub- 
ordinate place to animals, though these form a very important 
part of the more recent discoveries. The various vessels, 
granary urns, stoves, etc., described by Laufer are now easy 
to procure in the Peking shops. It should not be very diflRcult 
to detect the imitations. Many of the mortuary pieces of 
a later date than the Han rise above the rank of earthenware. 

[82] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

Under the Wei dynasty (220-265) two old potteries are 
mentioned as having prepared ware for the service of the 
court. But probably the earhest kiln whose work rose above 
the quality of wa, or earthenware, was the Tung-ou, in what 
is now the province of Chehkiang. This work dates from 
the Tsin (265-419), and it is mentioned in the Ch'a Ching, or 
Tea Classic. The glaze was green. 

Ching-te-chen as a keramic centre began to attract atten- 
tion as early as the beginning of the seventh century. The 
place was then known as Ch'ang-nan. A potter who worked 
there under the Sui (589-618) produced a green ware which 
obtained for its fabricator the sobriquet of Vao Yii, or 
'* Keramic Jade." It is said that the celadons had their origin 
in the attempts to imitate jade, and that white jade was the 
early ideal striven after in the white wares. At this early 
date the Ching-te-chen (or rather the Ch'ang-nan) kilns 
were already distinguished by imperial patronage. 

Under the T'ang dynasty we should mention the Shou yao, 
a yellowish ware made in the province of Anhui ; the Yiieh yao, 
a greenish ware compared to ice and jade' — a decided improve- 
ment on its predecessors, if we may judge by the enthusiastic 
comments of the Ch'a Ching and other old books; the Shu 
yaOy a white ware made in Ssu-chuan and praised for its timbre; 
and lastly the Pise yao, or "secret colour ware," so called 
because it was reserved for imperial use. It resembled the 
Yiieh but was clearer and brighter. This ware was made 
under the patronage of the Ch'ien, a family that rose to power 
at the time of the decline of the T'ang, and having been 
assigned the principalities of Wu and Yiieh, ruled with their 
capital at Hang-chou for three generations, from 851 to 976, 
when they resigned their dominion to the Sungs. 

But the greatest triumph of keramic skill previous to the 
Sung was the famous Ch'ai yao^ which supplied the model 

1 Since writing the above, H. E. T'ang Shao-yi has told me of a man in Foochow 
who claims to have a vase of Ch'ai in good condition. As there is no means of 
substantiating this statement, its chief interest lies in the extravagance of the 
claim, Chinese connoisseurs having long considered it difficult, if not impossible, 

[83] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

for many of the Sung productions. It was first made during 
the reign of Shih Tsung, of the later Chou (954-960), at 
Cheng-chou in Honan. At first it was called the "imperial 
ware/* but afterward came to be known as Ch'ai, from the 
family name of the Emperor who ordered its manufacture. 
It is praised in the most extravagant terms by the old writers, 
and is said to have been ch'ing like the sky, clear as a mirror, 
thin as paper, and resonant as the musical stone, glossy, fine, 
and beautiful, with delicate markings and colouring, far sur- 
passing in excellence everything that had preceded it. In 
this description we must, of course, make due allowance for 
the standard of comparison of the ancient writers. If it 
were possible now to discover and identify a surviving speci- 
men, we should doubtless find it disappointing. But at the 
same time we are safe in assuming that, compared with its 
contemporaries and with all that had gone before, it was an 
easy leader. The praise lavished upon it spurred the potters 
of the Sung to their supreme efforts, and the colour designated 
for it by Shih Tsung, "the blue of the sky after rain," became 
the chief aim of all the Honan keramists. 

FAMOUS KILNS OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

The Ting. 

At Ting-chou, in the southern part of Chihli. In operation 
under the Northern Sung, probably from the beginning 
of the dynasty. Industry transferred to Ch'ang-nan when 
the capital was moved to the south, a.d. 1126-27. 

The Ju. 

At Ju-chou, in K'ai-feng Fu. Established as supplementary 
to the Ting. 

to find a piece of Ch'ai large enough to form a watch fob or a belt buckle. Mr. T'ang 
describes the piece as a melon-shaped vase about ten inches high, of a dark green 
colour like the shell of a crab, with small, regular, even crackle and a very thick 
glaze. This does not tally at all with our ideas of the Ch'ai as derived from litera- 
ture and Mr. T'ang does not credit the assertion, though he considers the piece 
of great interest. 

[84] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

The Kuan. 

In the capital city of K'ai-feng Fu. Established during the 
Ta Kuan period (1107). Transferred to Hang-chou when 
the court moved to the south. 

The Lung-ch'uan. 
The Old Lung-ch'iian. 
The Ko. 
The Chang Lung-ch'iian. 

At the village of Liu-t'ien, Lung-ch'iian district, Ch'u- 
chou prefecture, province of Chehkiang. The Liu-t'ien 
kilns were active from the beginning of the Sung, the "Old 
Lung-ch'iian" being their oldest wares, the "Ko" the 
most famous. 

The Chun. 

At Chiin-t'ai, also called Chiin-chou, now Yii-chou, province 
of Honan. In operation from the beginning of the Sung. 

The Chien. 
At Chien-chou, now Chien-yang district, Chien-ning pre- 
fecture, province of Fukien. 

THE TING 

I HAVE found no native work which fixes the date of the 
opening of the Ting kilns. The T'ao Lu tells us merely that 
they were in operation "during the Sung dynasty." We know, 
however, that even as far back as the T'ang (618-905) south 
Chihli was a keramic centre, and that the ware there produced 
was white, or of a yellowish tint which was then the nearest 
approach to it. It is said of the Hsing T'ai ware that it was 
of fine and glossy pate, and the Ch'a Ching compares the 
tea bowls to silver or to snow, holding them inferior, however, 
to those of Yiieh (in Chehkiang), the latter being green and 
compared to ice and jade. Now Hsing T'ai is the head district 
of Shun-te Fu, midway between Ting-chou and Tz'u-chou. 

[85] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

We may well believe that its kilns supplied the type, and that 
it was their development which later produced the incom- 
parable Ting and the fine white ware of Tz'u-chou. 

According to the T'ang Shih Ssu K'ao, the Ting kilns 
turned out their best pieces during the Cheng Ho-Hslian Ho 
period (ii 11-26). We are told that the production of the 
Ting type of ware was carried on at Ch'ang-nan after the 
transfer of the Sung capital to the south. Through the 
kindness of Mr. D. Lattimore, of Pao-ting Fu Provincial 
College, I obtained a copy of the Ting-chou Annals, expecting 
them to be a mine of information on the subject, particularly 
as the old kilns constitute the city's only claim to fame; but 
the only thing that rewarded my search was the bald state- 
ment that "once the kilns of Ting-chou were very famous 
and their products eagerly sought after by connoisseurs." 
Several Ting-chou students at the college were questioned 
on the subject. They had all heard of the kilns, but did not 
know just where they are supposed to have been located. One 
of the teachers, however, stated that the Ting pottery was 
very famous under the Sung and before, and that tradition 
has it that this pottery was made at a place called Pai-t'u 
Ts'un, or ''Village of White Clay," somewhere to the west 
of the city. He added that no pottery is made there now. It 
ought not to be difficult to locate this place definitely; and 
as it appears never to have been exploited, it is possible that 
excavations there might be richly rewarded. Even broken 
pieces of genuine northern Ting are now of great interest and 
value. 

The pate of the best Ting ware was very fine and tender. 
It was of light grey colour, showing none of the purple-brown 
or iron tints of the other notable Sung wares, either before 
or after firing. It was manipulated with great delicacy, and 
some of the pieces were almost as thin as modern egg-shell. 
It was resonant, and while usually opaque was in certain 
instances slightly translucent. Brinkley calls it *'a fine stone- 
ware or semi-porcelain"; Dillon, "proto-porcelain or kaolinic 

[86] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

stoneware." Native authorities do not raise the question. 
They call it tzu, but, as I shall point out elsewhere, this 
term is not necessarily synonymous with our word "porcelain," 
no matter how the ideograph may be written. The exact 
composition of the Ting pate can be determined only by analy- 
sis of existing specimens, and authenticated specimens of 
northern Ting are far too rare and valuable to be subjected 
to such a process. Our best hope of accurate knowledge on 
this subject lies in the excavations which may be made in the 
future at the "Village of White Clay." 

The Ting glazes were white, purple, and black, the white 
being the type and by far the most important. An extract 
from the poem of Su Tung-p'e, to the effect that "the flower 
vases of Ting-chou were like carved red jade," is made au- 
thority for the statement that the Ting kilns produced a red 
ware also. But if such a ware ever existed, it is negligible 
for our purpose, as the collector will never meet with it. The 
Hsiang Catalogue (Illustrated Description of the Celebrated 
Porcelain of Different Dynasties), translated by Dr. Bushell, 
gives twelve Ting pieces, of which five are purple. From this 
it would appear that in Hsiang's day (sixteenth century) 
purple pieces were comparatively numerous. They do not 
seem to have been imitated, however. I have met with no 
purple specimens of the Ting type, and the term Ting yao 
nowadays always implies a white ware. As for the black, 
Hsiang says it was very rare, and this was undoubtedly true 
as applied to the finer work. I am inclined to think, however, 
that some recently discovered specimens of black ware may 
be classed as t'u Ting and referred to the south Chihli kilns. 

As compared with other notable Sung wares, the glaze of 
the white Ting was thin, "like a thin coat of cream," some 
one has said, and this comparison gives a very good idea of its 
appearance. In old Chiins and celadons the glaze has much 
body and is frequently found collected in masses near the 
bottom of the piece. While the glaze of the white wares is 
like cream, that of the coloured monochromes is like paste. 

[87] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

This contrast may be easily seen by comparing the piece of 
white Sung shown in the exhibit with the pieces of Yiian tz'u 
and Lung-ch'iian. In these latter the glazes form an appre- 
ciable part of the thickness of the piece. 

The T'ao Lu, in speaking of Ting wares of the finest quality, 
says: "This ware was commonly called fen Ting (rice-flour 
Ting) and also pai Ting (white Ting)." It appears, however, 
that it is only the latter term which should be applied to the 
fine product of the northern kilns. The term fen Ting implies 
a tinge of buff in the glaze, and this was a characteristic of 
the later Kiangsi product. The pai Ting^ however, was not 
a pure white like the fo t'ai wares of the Yung-lo period. It 
was of a mellow, creamy tone, wonderfully soft and of great 
beauty. 

Decoration was of various sorts. It was sometimes lightly 
incised under the glaze, sometimes printed or pressed on with 
a mould, and sometimes in pronounced relief. Another style 
of decoration called hsiu is not well understood. (See note to 
translation.) There were also perfectly plain pieces. The Ko 
Ku Yao Lun and the T'ang Shih Ssu K'ao unite in pronounc- 
ing the pieces having incised decoration the finest, and in 
giving second rank to the plain ones. It will be easily under- 
stood that those having sufficient body to carry decoration 
in pronounced relief could not compare with the others in 
delicacy, though the decoration itself was very often intricate 
and effective and the technique excellent. In the Catalogue 
of the Major Collection is found the statement that the Ting 
wares sometimes carried decoration in brown, as did the prod- 
ucts of the kilns of Tz'u-chou. This does not seem at all 
unlikely, as the kilns of the two districts operated at the same 
time and turned out products similar in many respects, but 
I have not been able to confirm the statement by any native 
authority. If convinced that decoration in colour was ever 
employed, I should be inclined to apply to it the word hsiu 
above mentioned. Chinese scholars whom I have consulted 
are of the opinion that it means "painted." 

[88] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

The books tell us that the patterns most commonly used in 
decorating the Ting were peonies, day lilies, and flying 
phoenixes, (For the symbolism of these, see note to the trans- 
lation of the T'ao Lu.) But these by no means monopolise 
the field. Like most of the famous Sung wares, the early 
Ting was modelled on old bronzes, and all the archaic designs 
found on such bronzes were faithfully reproduced. (For an 
example of this, see the magnificent purple censer shown in the 
Hsiang Catalogue.) The key-pattern and scroll-work of 
various sorts were widely used, particularly in incised decor- 
ation. I have seen two pieces showing a pair of fishes in the 
bottom, a style mentioned in literature as characteristic of 
the Old Lung-ch'iian wares. One of these pieces was held 
by the dealer to be a t'u Ting, possibly dating from the Sung, 
while the other was admittedly a Tao Kuang imitation made 
at the Kiangsi kilns. This is a very old pattern, and was 
undoubtedly much used on the Ting wares as well as on the 
Lung-ch'iian. 

Several native works, in discussing the pai Ting, mention 
the occurrence of globules in the glaze, which they compare 
to tear-marks and which are spoken of as increasing the value 
of the piece in the eyes of connoisseurs. We can hardly be- 
lieve that they were real embellishments or that they were 
intentional on the part of the potter. But, being a defect 
characteristic of early wares, they have come to be prized 
as an evidence of age. Brinkley believes, too, that they would 
be most likely to occur on pieces of greatest delicacy. 

Bowls and plates of Ting were stoved in an inverted posi- 
tion, so that, unlike most Sung wares, the bottoms were per- 
fectly glazed, while the rims were left exposed and afterward 
finished with bands of copper or silver. This is believed to 
constitute an important mark of authenticity, as it is held 
that the Ching-te-chen kilns did not imitate it. It should 
be borne in mind, however, that there was no impossibility 
in their doing so, had they really wished to deceive, and for 
this reason the glazed bottom and copper rim must not be 

[89] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

considered absolute proof of the Sung origin of a piece. Let 
it be said, however, in justice to the Ching-te-chen potters 
of the Ming, that for the most part their aim was not decep- 
tion or slavish imitation, but the development and improve- 
ment of the type set for them by the northern kilns. Their 
work was of a quality which had no reason to fear comparison, 
and perhaps they did not use the copper rims simply because 
they had learned to finish the piece properly without them.^ 
The Ting kilns put forth a great variety of articles. Plates 
and saucers of various sizes and wide-mouthed bowls were 
common. There were many censers, tripods, and vases, 
closely imitating the old bronzes. In addition the T'ao Shuo 
gives us a list of flower vases and small objects for use in the 
library of the scholar, such as pencil rests, water basins for 
washing brushes, and small pots to contain water for the 
ink slab, designed in imitation of various natural objects, 
such as melons, egg-plant, camels, and even toads. These all 
occurred in the Ting wares, though they seem to have been 
more common in the heavier Kuan and Ko. 

VARIETIES AND IMITATIONS OF THE TYPE 

The t^u Ting is a variety of the ware heavier, coarser, and 
more yellowish in colour than the pai Ting ox fen Ting. From 
the text of the T'ao Lu one gathers that it was simply an 
inferior output made at the same kilns and at the same time 
as the other. And it seems but natural that from the very 
first pieces of varying degrees of fineness and excellence should 
have been produced, adapted to various uses and put upon 
the market at difi^erent prices. Or perhaps, while the finer 
wares were reserved for imperial use, the heavier work alone 
was put upon the market. The T'ao Shuo and the older works 
from which it quotes do not mention the t'u Ting. Brinkley, 
in Chapter III, "Wares of the Sung Dynasty," says: "There 

1 Mr. T'ang Shao-yi has since told me that under the Ming and later the copper 
rims were considered in bad taste. 

[90] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

was also produced at the same factory, during the Sung 
dynasty, a coarser species called the t'u Ting yao." But in 
Chapter XII, "Chinese Pottery," he says that the t'u Ting 
was *'an imitation of the celebrated Ting ware of the Sung," 
and he adds that the heavier examples came from the Kuang- 
tung factories. In describing these he says that they have 
"a paint-like, creamy glaze of varying thickness and lustre, 
its buff colour often showing tinges of blue." I have seen 
numerous specimens in shops and private collections, some 
of them quite creamy enough to have issued from the northern 
kilns, and others somewhat buff but showing no special tinge 
of blue. Moreover, they are sufficiently heavy and durable 
to have survived usage and transfer and to have undergone 
processes of burial and resurrection. One would like to believe 
that some of them, at least, are what they seem. It is an 
interesting point, for if they are genuine relics of the Sung 
kilns their analysis would teach much concerning the nature 
of the Ting pate and glazes, for these heavy wares probably 
differed from the others more in technique and manipulation 
than in the nature of the materials used. 

We have seen that with the transfer of the Sung capital 
to the south (1126-27) the manufacture of the Ting type of 
ware became centred at Ch'ang-nan, the world-famed 
Ching-te-chen, where kilns had already been in operation 
from the seventh century. Doubtless the more skilled of the 
operators of the northern kilns went to Ching-te-chen at 
this time, taking their skill and their traditions with them. 
We need look for no falling off in technique, but naturally 
different materials came into use. If, however, the peculiar 
keramic properties of the Ching-te-chen kao-lin had then been 
discovered, the discovery was not applied to this species of 
manufacture. The T'ao Lu tells us that the Ch'ang-nan 
potters used powdered ch'ing-t'ien stone in making their biscuit. 
Whatever this may have been, it did not produce so fine, close- 
grained a pate as the material procured from the *' Village of 
White Clay." Just what occurred to produce the change in 

[91] 






EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

the colour of the glaze from a creamy white to a buff tinge is 
another point unelucidated, but from this time onward the 
manufacture of Ting wares went on at Ch'ang-nan without 
interruption. 

Changes of dynasty did not put out the fires of the Ching- 
te-chen kilns. Under the Mongol masters of the Yiian 
(1206-1341) they went on producing pieces which old-time 
native connoisseurs admit to be undistinguishable from the 
southern ware of the Sung. The Ko Ku Yao Lun tells us, 
however, that under the Yiian the best pieces were marked 
with the characters "Shu Fu," indicating their imperial 
destination. Under the Ming white wares of hard paste 
porcelain were made, but the manufacture of the soft paste 
Ting type was also kept up. Under Wan Li (i 573-1620) the 
expert Hao Shih-chiu is said to have copied a Sung Ting 
tripod so successfully that the owner of the original could not 
tell which was his. As already mentioned, we have seen a 
handsome piece of the Ting type which was admitted by the 
dealer to be as late as Tao Kuang. 

So much for the Ching-te-chen kilns. And, as will be seen 
in the section devoted to supplementary kilns, the Ting 
wares were imitated with more or less success by the potter 
Shu of Chi-chou and his daughter Shu Chiao, by the potter 
P'eng Chiin-pao of Ho-cho-chou, and by many others. All 
these varieties add to the confusion of the collector. True, 
the genuine northern Ting had characteristics which set it 
apart from all the others, but it is hardly an exaggeration 
to say that its safest distinguishing feature is the fact that it 
is no longer to be found. 

EXAMPLES OF THE TING WARES 

Bushell's "Chinese Art," Fig. 8, shows two Ting vases 
classed as Sung. These are in the Bushell collection. 

At the Shanghai Exhibition, 1908, was shown a piece in 
the form of a boat with a child in it. It has an incised key- 
pattern border. Length, 7 inches; height, 2 inches. It was 

[92] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

from the collection of Wang K'ai-zur and was classed as 
Sung fen Ting. 

At the same exhibition were shown a pair of vases classed 
as fen Ting. These have a creamy, crackled glaze, with dragon 
and flying phoenix decoration. From the collection of A. W. 
Bahr. Probably early Ming. 

At the Burlington Fine Arts Exhibition was shown a 
saucer-shaped dish with six-foil rim finished with a band. 
The ornaments are in low relief. There is a vine in the centre, 
and the six radiating compartments of the sides are decorated 
with peonies and other flowers. The border is of the design 
known as the silk-worm scroll. This piece was loaned by 
Mrs. Bushell. 

The same exhibition showed a bottle of t^u Ting with 
creamy-white crackled glaze, "garlic-shaped" mouth, and 
archaic dragon and pearl in relief around the lower part of the 
neck. Decoration of scroll-work on the body. 

Three vases of the t'u Ting type recently left Peking. The 
purchaser classed them as Sung. Their solidity and crackled 
glaze place them in the t'u Ting class, but they are finely 
finished and of excellent technique. The best of the three 
has a creamy glaze with only a slight tinge of buff, and 
decoration in low relief, evidently copied from an old bronze. 
A key-pattern scroll extends twice round the neck and down 
the sides. The crackle is of the fine fish-roe type. It may be 
a Ming product of the Ching-te-chen kilns, but on this point 
it is impossible to speak with certainty. Analysis of the glaze 
would probably show lead. The very excellence of such a 
specimen leads one to doubt its age. 

In the collection of General Munthe are three vases of the 
t'u Ting type. Two of these have the "garlic-shaped" mouth 
and dragons coiled about the neck. A third has a deeper tinge 
of buff than the others, with decoration of peonies incised 
under the glaze. This latter has a completely glazed bottom. 
These are all of heavier material and coarser workmanship 
than the three mentioned above. 

[93] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

At the Ta Chi Chang curio shop on the Ha-ta-men Street 
I saw a specimen of the finer Ting. It is a wide-mouthed 
bowl, very Hght and delicate but quite opaque. It has the 
hexagonal division of the sides, like the bowl mentioned above 
from the collection of Mrs. Bushell. The only decoration is 
an incised lotus at the bottom. The rim is unglazed and 
finished with a copper band. The dealer seemed ignorant of 
the origin and character of this piece. 

The same dealer showed me a large plate of the t^u Ting 
type. It has a deeper tinge of yellow and is heavier than the 
bowl, but is still quite delicate. It also is finished with the 
copper rim. There are two fishes in the bottom and elaborate 
decoration in relief round the sides. Like the bowl just 
described, it has all the characteristics of genuine Sung ware, 
unless it lacks such as must be determined by analysis. But 
it requires great optimism to believe that pieces so fragile 
and of a shape so easily destroyed have survived from so ;i 
remote a period. j 

Heavy pieces of the t'u Ting type, mostly vases, may be | 
found in various shops on the Liu-li-ch'ang. If asked their j 
origin, the dealer will usually say "Honan" and add that they | 
are *'out of the earth." It is quite true that recent railway j 
construction has led to numerous finds of ancient pottery; f 
and as these pieces are very solid, it is not unreasonable to sup- | 
pose that some of them, at least, actually date from the | 
Sung dynasty. 

HINTS TO THE COLLECTOR 

"The best Ting was of the Cheng Ho-Hsiian Ho periods, 
but it is no longer found in heaps.'" (Ko Ku Yao Lun, 1387.) 

"One does not see many Sung wares nowadays. The broken 
shards that remain are worth their weight in gold and jade." 
(Foreword of the T'ao Shuo, Ch'ien Lung period.) 

The above two quotations, one written about one hundred 
and fifty and the other more than five hundred years ago, 

[94] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

might seem to close the question to all but purely academic 
interest. Nevertheless, there are certain recent develop- 
ments which may serve to justify the collector of Sung wares 
in his enthusiasm, particularly with regard to the heavier 
varieties. These are the excavations which have accompanied 
modern mine-opening and railway-building in China, and the 
wars and political upheavals which have caused princely 
and other wealthy families to put their hitherto jealously 
guarded heirlooms upon the market. It is asserted, too, that 
during and since Boxer times some of the imperial hoards 
have been rifled by their guardians and put into circulation. 

THE ju 

Ju-cHou is in the province of Honan, in the valley of the Ju 
River, some fifty miles west of the Ching-Han Railway line 
and to the southeast of Honan Fu. It is in the same general 
keramic district as Yii-chou, where the famous Sung Chiin 
wares were made. The T'ao Lu tells us that it was under 
the direct jurisdiction of the capital, Pien-liang. (Bushell 
errs in saying that it is now Ju-chou Fu. It is not a prefec- 
tural city.) 

Brinkley makes the statement that the Ju kilns were opened 
in 1 1 30, which was three years after the transfer of the Sung 
capital to the south, but they are actually mentioned in a 
work written some years before. He appears to be quoting 
the T'ao Lu, though not literally, as follows: "The T'ao Lu 
says that the glaze of the Ting yao was often disfigured by 
fissures and other faults due to imperfectly prepared materials 
or unskilled stoving. These blemishes proved so embarrassing 
and unavoidable that in 1130 a.d. imperial orders were issued 
for the establishment of a special factory at Ju-chou, in the 
province of Kiangsu." 

The only statement that I have been able to find in the T*ao 
Lu in any way resembling this is the following: "Ju was 
under the jurisdiction of Pien. The Sung (emperors), holding 
that the white Ting ware was in many ways unsuitable, 

[95] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

ordered the opening of kilns at Ju for the manufacture of 
celadon (ch'ing)." This text does not mention the date, i 
and unless there be direct literary evidence to the contrary, j 
I should place the opening of the kilns at a date somewhat j 
earlier than that assigned by Brinkley. The Sung emperors \ 
transferred their capital to the south in 1126-27, and we j 
have already seen that at that time the manufacture of the !i 
Ting type of ware was removed to Ching-te-chen. We shall | 
also see that the Kuan, or imperial kilns, were then trans- r 
ferred from the old capital to the new. At a time when cir- \ 
cumstances necessitated the closing of the other northern 
kilns it is not likely that new ones would have been opened 
in Honan, in close proximity to the Chin Tartars, before j 
whom the Sung were receding; for, as we know, Ju-chou is { 
in Honan, not, as Brinkley states, in Kiangsu. ;j 

The Ju-chou kilns are in operation to-day, and I find no 
evidence to show that they have ever been entirely closed. 
Richard's geography says: "The environs were formerly 
very industrial, but have lost their activity. The manu- 
facture of common pottery is still carried on and gives the 
place some importance." Nevertheless, fine old Ju wares 
of the Sung are exceedingly rare. As they were not so fragile, 
the only explanation seems to be that the output, while under [ 
imperial patronage, was small. If such patronage were with- }< 
drawn with the transfer of the capital to the south, an im- I 
mediate deterioration of the work would have resulted. In 
the absence of evidence I cannot contend that such was the 
history of the Ju-chou kilns, but offer it merely as a working 
hypothesis. There may be evidence in Chinese literature 

which has not come under my notice.* I| 

» 

^ Dr. Chao S. Bok, himself a lineal descendant of the Sung imperial family and 
deeply interested in their history, informs me that the kilns at Ju-chou were not 
established by imperial order, but as the private enterprise of a prince of the ruling 
house. He has promised to secure for me the name of this prince and the exact 
date of the establishment of the kilns. He believes that they did not operate for ! 
a very long time, but that during their operation a very ardent competition existed 
between them and the Ting-chou factories, particularly with regard to the pro- i 
duction of new colours in the glaze. i 

[96] j: 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

We are told that the pate of the Ju was fine and glossy 
and shone like copper. This seems to indicate a reddish tinge 
in the clay even before firing. The wares varied in thickness. 
If any specimens ever equalled the Ting in delicacy, they 
have not survived. 

The superiority of the Ju wares was entirely in the glaze, 
which was glossy and thick like congealed lard. To reproduce 
a colour like that of the famous old Ch'ai wares of the later 
Chou seems to have been the main object in the opening of 
the kilns. The T'ao Lu states that the colour was to be ch'ing, 
but it specifies "the ch'ing of the sky after rain." This 
expression naturally suggests blue, and observation bears 
out the rendering. I have heard it applied by dealers to 
pieces which, to my eyes at least, were frankly blue with no 
tinge of green. It is the colour of the modern Ju-chou ware 
to be found in abundance in Peking to-day. When a Chinese 
says of an object that it is "ch'ing like the sky," he does not 
mean the same thing as when he says "ch'ing like an onion." 
I asked a Chinese gentleman the colour of the pale blue silk 
gown that he wore, and he responded promptly *'pale ch'ing." 

So much for the term. But we must not be surprised when 
confronted by the fact that the colour of the Ju wares was not 
always the same. The skill of the old potters was purely 
empirical. They could rarely duplicate their wares. The 
colour of the sky after rain may have been always the colour 
aimed at, but many attempts produced a bluish green, or 
sometimes a green with no tinge of blue. Of the three Ju 
pieces which are figured in the Hsiang Catalogue (if the 
colours of the reproduction which I have seen are to be trusted), 
one is quite blue, one a celadon with a slight tinge of blue, 
and one with blue predominating but bearing a tinge of green. 
Before leaving this puzzling question of colour, we should 
mention that the T'ao Shuo quotes the Liu Ch'ing Jih Cha 
as saying that there was a yellowish tinge in the Ju glazes, 
and the Po Wu Yao Lan as comparing them in colour to egg- 
white. The author of the T'ao Shuo, commenting on this, 

[97] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

remarks that while the two statements seem to disagree, 
the general indication is that the colour was a pale ch'ing. 
Evidently this latter overworked word appeals to the Chinese 
mind as a safe resort in all disputes with regard to colour. 

The T'ao Lu saj^s that the Ju was sometimes uncrackled, 
sometimes with the fish-roe variety of crackle. The Ko Ku 
Yao Lun also refers to certain markings designated as "crab's 
claw" and " Tsung yen" or "coir-palm eyes." The first may 
refer to the larger variety of crackle, such as is shown by one 
of the Ju pieces in the Hsiang Catalogue. The latter term 
I have discussed in the note to the annexed translation. 
Native authorities do not agree as to its meaning. One man 
assured me that it is common colloquial usage, meaning "little 
holes." Another says that it is applied to certain markings 
on plants, not necessarily the palm. He pointed out such 
marks on a bamboo. They are not unlike eyes, and one can 
understand how such markings might accidentally occur on 
porcelain. I have seen no specimens, however, and have not 
heard the term used by dealers or connoisseurs. Whatever 
these markings were, it is obvious that they were not inten- 
tionally produced and were not originally regarded as em- 
bellishments. 

A quotation from the Cho Keng Lu refers to sesame flowers 
on the bottom of Ju wares, which, if I understand the passage 
aright, appeared as though picked out with a small pointed 
instrument. No reference is made to this elsewhere. 

Of the composition of the Ju glazes the books tell us only 
that powdered cornelian was added. I am not aware that this 
statement was made with reference to any other of the Sung 
wares. 

The archaic decorations of the old bronzes were reproduced 
on the Ju wares. So far as I have been able to discover, the 
Ju is known only in vases. If bowls, plates, and the utensils 
of the library were made, as in the other Sung wares, they 
have not survived even in literature. The author of the 
T'ao Shuo speaks of "one small jar" which he was fortunate 

[98I 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

enough to see in the collection of a friend. It appears to have 
been the characteristic of cornelian in the glaze which most 
struck him, for he makes this the heading of his remarks. 
He says that such pieces were meant for imperial use and were 
"exceedingly hard to obtain." 

IMITATIONS 

The Annals of Fu-liang tell us that the pate and glaze of the 
Ju wares were imitated at Ching-te-chen. These products 
probably excelled their originals in technique, but fell below 
them in depth and softness of glaze. 

Modern wares from the Ju-chou kilns are for sale in Peking. 
At the Industrial Exposition Building I saw, among other 
articles, a large Ju censer. The colour is "the blue of the sky 
after rain." These pieces are not meant to deceive, and could 
not possibly do so. Still, they are not without decorative 
merit, and are of interest as marking the persistence of an 
old industry which may yet have a future. 

EXAMPLES OF SUNG JU 

Since the Hsiang Catalogue could figure only three pieces, 
and the author of the T'ao Shuo knew only one small jar, we 
must not expect much in the way of existing specimens. 

HINTS TO THE COLLECTOR 

From what has already been said it will be understood that 
the interest of the collector in this type of ware is largely 
theoretical. It is possible that a craze for Sung Ju may some 
day create a supply; but if so, no thinking person could take 
the matter seriously. A description of this ware has been 
necessary here, merely for the sake of symmetry and com- 
pleteness in summarising the famous products of the dynasty. 
Nevertheless, it is likely that a few specimens do exist in 

[99] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

private collections, and that they may yet fall under the eye 
of the collector. Such specimens may have found their way to 
America already, for undoubtedly the recent upheavals in 
China have caused the dispersal of collections of great merit. 
Let the collector remember that, to be considered at all as 
a Sung Ju, the piece must be of fine, glossy, copper-coloured 
pate, the glaze must be thick and unctuous, the colour blue, 
green, or a blending of the two with either predominating. 
It may be crackled or plain. The style should be archaic. 
The glaze is likely to terminate in a wavy line, and a portion 
of the lower part is very likely to be unglazed. Too great 
excellence of technique will indicate a Ching-te-chen origin 
of later date than the Sung. But when all these characteristics 
are granted, I can find nothing which absolutely distinguishes 
it from other celadons, particularly the Kuan. If the presence 
of cornelian in the glaze could be proved, this would appear 
to clinch the argument. But probably the use of this material 
is only a tradition.^ 

THE KUAN 

The Kuan Yao were the Government kilns, properly speaking. 
They diff^ered from the others in being set up at the capital 
and being more directly under the jurisdiction of the palace 
authorities. But we must not suppose that they were the only 
kilns which supplied ware for imperial use, or that their out- 
put was necessarily superior to that of other famous kilns, 
such as the Ting and Ju. In fact, the T'ao Lu tells us that 
such was not the case. I have noted in my researches that the 
term Sung Kuan yao as used to-day does not necessarily mean 
the product of these, strictly speaking, imperial kilns, but is 
used to indicate all Sung wares whose quality indicates that 
they were meant for palace use. 

1 Since writing the above I have been informed by H. E. T'ang Shao-yi that there 
is in his own collection a piece which he is strongly inclined to classify as Ju. 

The collection of Mr. Ch'ing K'uan also contains a vase which he calls a Ju. 
It is beaker-shaped and of archaic appearance. The colour is a grey green and 
there is medium-sized crackle. 

[ loo] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

The books are quite definite as to the history of the Kuan 
kilns. They were opened during the Ta Kuan-Cheng Ho 
period. These are both designations of the reign of the Em- 
peror Hui Tsung, and the time was 1 107-18. During the 
latter year Hui Tsung, though still on the throne, again 
changed his nien hao. The kilns continued to operate at 
K'ai-feng Fu until the transfer of the capital to the south, 
when they were closed and "interior kilns,'' or official kilns, 
were set up in the immediate precincts of the palace at Hang- 
chou. We have thus a period of only twenty years for the 
operation of the northern kilns. 

As for the pate of the Kuan, we are told that it was fine and 
glossy and that the wares showed the red mouth and iron foot, 
though whether this was before or after firing is not quite 
clear. There must have been considerable difference between 
the clays used in the north and in the south, and with regard 
to the latter the T'ao Shuo is more explicit. Quoting the Po 
Wu Yao Lan, it says: "The earth at the foot of Phoenix Hill, 
near Hang-chou, is reddish, so that the bottom of vessels 
made of it look like iron. This is commonly called 'the red 
mouth and iron foot.' For the glaze has a tendency to run 
down, away from the mouth of the vessel, leaving this or 
unglazed patches like the bottom in colour. But it is the iron 
foot which is most esteemed. There is no other clay which 
equals that of Phcenix Hill in this respect." 

From this it would appear that in the southern wares the 
pate was red before firing. I am inclined to think that the 
pate of the northern Kuan, and of Honan wares generally, 
was dark, though not so markedly red as that of Hang-chou. 

With regard to the thickness of the biscuit, there does not 
appear to have been much difference between the Ju and the 
Kuan. Of the former we are told that the wares were "of 
varying thickness"; of the latter, that "the body was thin." 
The Liu Ch'ing Jih Cha says of the Kuan that "those which 
were thin like paper were similar to the Ju and of equal value." 
In estimating remarks like this we must always bear in mind 

[lOl] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

the standards of comparison of those early times, else we shall 
form a very exaggerated idea of the delicacy of the old wares. 

The Ju appears to have excelled the Kuan in quality of 
glaze. We have seen the former characterised as very thick 
and unctuous and compared to lard. The latter is not de- 
scribed except as regards colour. This, the T'ao Lu says, was a 
ch'ing of varying depth. During the Ta Kuan period moon- 
white and bright green were also made. Generally speaking, 
this celadon appears to have shown less of the blue tinge than 
did the Ju. As to crackle, the T'ao Lu says that it showed 
the crab's-claw markings. The Po Wu Yao Lan adds to this 
that the starred-ice, eel's-blood crackle was the best, and 
the black plum-blossom crackle next in rank. This refers to 
the practice of rubbing red or black colouring matter into the 
crackle. This process is described in the section on Minor 
Kilns, under the heading *'Sui Ch'i Yao." 

Decoration appears to have been sparingly used on the 
Kuan wares, the pieces relying for their beauty on the quality 
of the glaze and the coloured crackle. The Hsiang Catalogue 
figures a tripod having the "t'ao-t'ieh," or ogre's head, in 
relief, and the "lei-wen," or thunder-scroll decoration. Other 
pieces are perfectly plain. We do not read or hear of plates 
or bowls with incised patterns of flowers, etc., as in the Lung- 
ch'iian celadons. 

The Hsiang Catalogue shows us censers, tripods, libation 
cups, etc., in the Kuan wares. We also learn from the Cat- 
alogue, and from the list of articles given in the T'ao Shuo, 
that these kilns produced cups, watering pots, basins for 
washing brushes, ink palettes, brush rests, seals, and doubt- 
less all the little articles so highly prized in the study of the 
Chinese scholar. 

VARIETIES AND IMITATIONS 

We have seen that the transfer of the kilns from K*ai-feng Fu 
to Hang-chou necessitates differentiation between the northern 
and the southern Kuan. 

[ 102] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

The T'ang Shih Ssu K'ao says that "a false Kuan was 
made at Lung-ch'iian." There seems, however, no good 
reason for assuming that the Lung-ch'uan celadons were at 
any time a conscious imitation of the Kuan, particularly 
with any attempt to deceive, though the similarity in the 
wares may have led to some confusion. The same authority 
says that the "secret colour" wares of YiiYao, of the southern 
Sung, were often mistaken for the Kuan. 

Some of the minor kilns turned out products similar to the 
Kuan, while the Ching-te-chen factories have at various per- 
iods produced wares closely resembling them. 

EXAMPLES OF SUNG KUAN 

It is only quite recently that native or foreign collectors have 
taken an interest in these products of the Sung imperial 
factories, or have differentiated them from other and similar 
celadons of corresponding date. Therefore, both in China 
and abroad there may be Kuan pieces which are not so classed. 
The term Kuan yao, as used in Peking, means the output of 
the imperial Ching-te-chen factories, from the Ming down- 
ward, whereas Sung Kuan yao means any high-class Sung 
ware, presumably made for imperial use. Intelligent and en- 
thusiastic native collectors are just awakening to the fact 
that an old celadon gains in interest and value if it possesses 
characteristics which refer it to the K'ai-feng or Hang-chou 
imperial kilns. 

After recent careful study of the subject and exploration 
of the shops, a Chinese connoisseur brought me a piece which 
he is willing to vouch for as a Sung Kuan, and probably, as 
judged by the nature of the clay, from the K'ai-feng kilns. 
It is a plate or saucer, eight inches in diameter. The colour is 
an olive green with a very slight tinge of blue. The crackle 
is finest in the centre, running into larger meshes toward the 
rim, a considerable portion of the outer edge being uncrackled. 
The foot is perfectly smooth and finely finished. The piece 

[ 103 ] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

has rested on a five-pointed object during firing, and the 
copper-coloured pate is shown at these five points. It has been 
buried and shows some iridescence in the bottom, with 
numerous cloudy spots where the glaze has been eaten away. 
There is a round black spot in the bottom, which must have 
been an original defect in the piece. It bears no ornamentation. 
Mr. Myers, our consular representative at Mukden, tells 
me that there is a piece marked "Kuan" in the imperial 
collection there. He characterises this as of very light sky 
blue. 

HINTS TO THE COLLECTOR 

I BELIEVE the search for Sung Kuan a more hopeful one than 
that for Sung Ju. History indicates that the kilns operated 
longer, and the list of objects in the T'ao Shuo gives them a 
much more prominent place. The ware was heavy, and 
many little objects for the library table, such as seals, were 
of a form not easily destroyed. They must exist still, both 
in shops and private collections. 

The pate can hardly be relied on as a distinguishing feature. 
It was of two varieties, and that of the north must have been 
very like the Ju and other Honan wares. 

It appears always to have been crackled, and there is no 
record that the crackle was ever of the fish- roe variety. This 
will serve to distinguish it from the fish-roe crackle Ko wares 
and from the uncrackled Lung-ch'uan. 

There was no cornelian in the glaze, or at least no mention 
is made of it. The glaze does not appear to have been as 
thick and unctuous as the Ju. 

Made under the imperial eye, as it were, these pieces appear 
to have been very well finished, but a general air of newness 
will mark a piece as a Ching-te-chen imitation. 

Colouring matter rubbed into the crackle will help as a 
means of identification, but it does not appear that this was 
always done, and the method has been widely used at other 
kilns. 

[ 104] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

THE LUNG-CH'iJAN CELADONS 

In the specifications for research submitted to me no mention 
was made of the Lung-ch'iian wares, but the place which 
they occupy in the history of the Sung potteries is so important 
that they cannot be omitted without destroying the symmetry 
of the story. It is not necessary, however, to go into the 
matter in detail, as there is already a vast amount of liter- 
ature on the subject, as well as many extant specimens. It 
is safe to say that the Lung-ch'iian wares are better known, 
both to foreign collectors and to native connoisseurs, than 
any other product of the Sung kilns. Dr. Bushell refers to 
the Lung-ch'iian as "the ck'ing tz'u, or green porcelain par 
excellence of the Chinese, the seiji of the Japanese, the mar- 
tabani of the Arabs and Persians." In his "Chinese Art," 
however, he illustrated only two specimens (and these both 
from the Ming dynasty) of the Lung-ch'iian type, but not 
from the Lung-ch'iian kilns. 

The original Lung-ch'iian potteries were at the villages of 
Liu-t'ien and Chin-ts'un, at the foot of Liu-hua Shan, in the 
district of Lung-ch'iian, Ch'u-chou prefecture, province of 
Chehkiang. The T'ao Lu states that the kilns were in opera- 
tion from the beginning of the Sung, but whether they began 
with the Sung or were even older is not stated. They continued 
to operate until the end of the Yiian dynasty, when they were 
moved to Ch'u-chou, about seventy-five miles down the river, 
where work was actively continued until 1620. 

A great deal of confusion will be avoided if it be recognised 
that the Lung-ch'iian celadons did not originate with the Chang 
brothers. The T'ao Lu discusses them under three heads, the 
Lung-ch'iian, the Ko, and the Chang Lung-ch'iian, and tells 
us definitely that the former dated from the beginning of the 
Sung, whereas the others were during the Sung dynasty. Dr. 
Hirth gives the date of the Chang brothers as southern Sung 
(i 127-1278), and on his authority Brinkley refers "the earliest 
Lung-ch'iian celadons" to this date. This is a misconception. 
The Chang brothers merely carried on a long-established in- 

[105] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE ' 

dustry, but made such changes and improvements that from 
that time their names were attached to the wares. This point i 
is not clearly brought out by all Chinese writers on the subject, j 
and modern Chinese connoisseurs do not seem always to make i 
the distinction. The T'ao Lu is my chief authority for it, i 
but the older works do not refute it, and it seems to me to be | 
brought out in Dr. Hirth's translation from the Ch'ing Pi j 
Tsang, as follows: j 

"Old Lung-ch'iian porcelain is fine in paste, thick in make, ' 
and has an intense onion-green or tree-green colour. The ■ 
better specimens may compete with the Kuan yao, but there 
is not much in the way of a crackled surface, a brown paste, 
and an iron foot. Moreover, they can stand a very great deal 
of wear and tear and will not easily spoil. But as the manu- 
facturers were somewhat clumsy, the workmanship shown 
in these porcelains cannot be classed as representing the 
ancient elegance in style. When the white paste is so covered 
with green enamel that at the places where it is not put on 
thick, white patches will shine through, this is the porcelain 
burned by Chang Sheng of the Sung dynasty, and therefore 
called Chang yao; when compared to the (ordinary) Lung- 
ch'iian it displays greater delicacy of workmanship." 

Obviously here there is something preceding the Chang yao 
with which it is compared. The word "ordinary," which Dr. 
Hirth places in parenthesis, does not occur in the original. 
If for it we substitute the word "old," actually used at the 
beginning of the paragraph, we shall see the force of the \ 



comparison. It is between the Chang and the older and 
coarser ware that preceded it, not between the Chang and 
a contemporary inferior product. 

Dr. Hirth also translates from the T'ao Shuo: 
" The Ko yao of the Sung Dynasty. The porcelain factories 
of Liu-t'ien were originally in the hands of two brothers," etc. 
In my opinion, this should read as follows: " The Ko Kilns of 
the Sung. Originally Lung-ch'iian, Liu-t'ien kilns in the 
hands of two brothers," etc. The text does not require the 

[io6] 



I* 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

rendering that these were the first Liu-t'ien kilns, and the 
context does not support it. 

Admitting, then, that there are three sorts of Lung-ch'iian 
products, and not two, as is usually assumed, let us see what 
are the characteristics of each. 

THE OLD LUNG-CH'uAN 

According to the T'ao Lu, the clay was fine and white. The 
colour of the glaze was an onion green and there was no 
crackle. The pieces were heavy and durable and not of very 
good technique. A kind of basin was made having a pair of 
fishes on the bottom as decoration and brass rings serving as 
handles. According to the T'ang Shih Ssu K'ao, only the 
finest could compete with Kuan and Ko, and few had crackle 
or the red mouth and iron foot. 

THE KG 

This was ware from the kiln of the elder Chang. The clay 
was fine and of reddish colour (though perhaps not red until 
after firing). The fish-roe crackle was so prominent a feature 
of this ware that the term Ko yao has come to be applied in 
a general way to all monochromes having crackle of this 
variety. The body was comparatively thin and the colour 
was a chHug varying in depth. It does not appear, however, 
that it was ever an onion green like the older wares, but a 
native connoisseur tells me that he believes the genuine Ko 
of the Sung to have been generally of a darker tinge than the 
Ching-te-chen imitations. A straw-coloured variety was 
also produced. Genuine Sung Ko should show the red mouth 
and iron foot. 

THE CHANG LUNG-CH'uaN 

These were from the kilns of the younger brother. They 
were finer wares than the Old Lung-ch'iian, and differed 

[ 107] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

from the Ko chiefly in having no crackle. Also it is said that 
some pieces were of "kingfisher" ch'ingj a term not used in 
describing the Ko. It is with regard to the Chang Lung- 
ch'iian that we are told that, notwithstanding the iron foot, 
the paste was white where not exposed to the direct heat of 
the furnace. I incline to the belief that the same is true of 
the Ko, and that the Chang brothers probably used the 
same kind of clay. But if we are to accept the statements of 
the T'ao Lu without reservation, we must hold that the clay 
of the Old Lung-ch'iian was white before and after firing, 
that of the Ko reddish, and that of the Chang Lung-ch'iian 
white with the quality of turning red in the furnace. 

With the exception of the notice of a pair of fishes appearing 
in the bottom of Old Lung-ch'iian basins, the T'ao Lu says 
nothing with regard to the decoration of Lung-ch'iian wares. 
We know, however, from existing specimens, that flowers, 
fishes, scroll-work, etc., similar to the designs used on the 
Ting yao were commonly applied, both incised and in relief. 
The Ko relied for decoration on its crackle. 

All sorts of articles were made at the Lung-ch'iian kilns. 
Heavy basins, bowls, and plates seem to have been the 
characteristic forms of the old ware and of the Chang Lung- 
ch'uan. The author of the T'ao Shuo enumerates many 
articles of Ko ware, in quaint and grotesque form, for use on 
the study table. Many fine vases of the Ko type are now seen, 
but these are comparatively modern. 

VARIETIES AND IMITATIONS 

In addition to the old ware and the work of the Chang 
brothers, we have seen that similar but somewhat inferior 
ware was produced at Ch'u-chou until the beginning of the 
seventeenth century. The Ching-te-chen kilns have always 
been active in the imitation of these wares, particularly of 
the Ko type, and they have turned out products far superior, 
in workmanship at least, to their originals. 

[ io8 ] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 



EXAMPLES OF LUNG-CH'UAN CELADONS 

I AM not aware of having seen any pieces of genuine Sung Ko. 
I believe, however, that such may be found, particularly in 
small articles, both in shops and private collections. 

A pair of fine vases of the Ko type were recently presented 
to Mrs. Calhoun by President Yuan Shih-k'ai. These are 
too fine in workmanship to be referred to the Sung kilns. 

I have in my own possession a large plate of the Lung- 
ch'tian type. It is heavy and of coarse workmanship, sea 
green in colour, and has a checkered pattern incised in the 
paste under the glaze. It has the characteristics of the old 
ware, but may have proceeded from the Ch'u-chou kilns. 

Many good celadons are to be found in Japan. In the 
Baron Iwasaki collection is a spotted celadon dating from 
the Ming. This yao pien, or "furnace transmutation" 
variety, is exceedingly rare. 

Bushell's "Chinese Art" figures two Ming celadons of the 
Lung-ch'iian type. One of these is a plate with floral decora- 
tion incised under the glaze, the other a double-bodied vase, 
the outer part pierced with scroll foliage. 

THE CHUN 

The Chiin wares have never been accorded high rank in 
Chinese literature. I have followed the order of the T'ao Lu 
in placing them after the Ting, Ju, Kuan, and Ko; and the 
T'ao Lu, in doing so, has followed the example of the older 
writers. The author of the T'ao Shuo describes the ware, 
quoting various authorities, but I cannot find that he has 
given it any place in his catalogue of noted pieces. The 
Chun was not made in the classical shapes of the old bronzes, 
and its brilliant colouring did not appeal to the old-time 
Chinese scholars as did the quiet elegance of the Ting and 

[ 109] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

the celadons. They were probably somewhat inclined to 
class it as they do cloisonne enamels, as "fit only for the 
apartments of the women and unsuited to the library of a 
scholar." But intrinsic beauty it always possessed and the 
passing of years has given it the dignity of the antique. It 
has fully come into its own, and is enjoying a vogue, both 
among native and European collectors, which it is not likely 
to lose. A Chinese friend recently remarked that, from this 
time onward, a piece of genuine Sung Chiin must go on 
increasing in interest and value, no matter what changes 
may occur in fads and fashions. 

The place at which this ware was made was originally 
known as Chiin-t'ai or Chiin-chou, the name being changed 
to Yii-chou under the Ming dynasty. It is in K'ai-feng pre- 
fecture, province of Honan. Thus the Chiin proceeded from 
the same keramic centre as the early Ch'ai and the Sung Ju 
and Kuan. The kilns dated *'from the beginning of the 
Sung," so that we may consider the Chiin as among the 
oldest of the Sung wares. Under the Yiian dynasty they 
turned out the well-known Yiian tz'u, a product inferior to 
their work under the Sung, but still possessing much merit. 
When they ceased to operate, I have not been able to learn. 
The degeneracy of the wares probably began as soon as the 
Sung capital was transferred to the south. 

The T'ao Lu quotes the T'ang Shih Ssu K'ao to the effect 
that, of the Chiin wares, only the pots and saucers for growing 
the calamus were of really good material. Other articles are 
said to have been of sandy paste. One finds peculiar dis- 
crepancies among writers in English with regard to the 
quality of the Chiin paste. Brinkley calls it a kind of faience, 
although he speaks of the Ju as a porcelain. This is, of course, 
a matter of definition of terms. Neither ware approached 
translucency. Hobson correctly states that the Chiin varied 
from porcellanous stoneware to brown and red pottery. 
There is no confusion on the subject in the minds of the 
Chinese. They separate the Chiin into two distinct classes, 

[no] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

and a dealer or connoisseur will always refer to a piece as sha 
fai (sandy paste) or tz^u fai} 

At the beginning of my researches I was very sceptical 
as to the Sung origin of this latter class. The pate is very 
unlike that of other Honan wares, and in comparison with the 
sha t'ai it is found associated with a superior technique which 
suggests a later and more advanced stage of the art. One 
naturally suspects that he is confronted with an imitation 
from the kilns of Ching-te-chen, but having repeatedly found 
such pieces vouched for by thoroughly competent and ab- 
solutely disinterested Chinese authorities, I now feel com- 
pelled to admit their verdict and to credit their explanation. 
The keeper in charge of the collection of H. E. Sheng Hsiian- 
huai assured me that during the reign of the Sung emperors 
a certain amount of tribute clay was annually sent from the 
vicinity of Ching-te-chen to be used in the imperial kilns, 
and that this was devoted to the manufacture of the calamus 
pots and bowls and other fine articles for imperial use, whereas 
the coarser articles of sha fai were made from the native clays. 
H. E. T'ang Shao-yi corroborates this assertion. Naturally 
the best quality of glaze and the skill of the best workmen 
would be applied to the pieces made for imperial use and from 
tribute clay, and thus we find the great discrepancy in these 
vases fully accounted for. 

The colour and quality of the glazes were the distinguishing 
features of the Chiin. The T'ao Lu says that rouge or cinna- 
bar red was most esteemed, while onion-green and inky- 
purple ranked next, all three being considered superior 
provided the colours were pure and unmixed. Other tints 
produced by the admixture of these three colours in the firing 
must be regarded as accidents and not separate varieties. 
If the old potters were really aiming to produce monochromes, 
examination of existing specimens would indicate that 
accidents were much more numerous than successful essays. 

1 For the discussion of the word iz'u, see Glossary; here it means what Hobson 
calls "porcellanous stoneware." 

[Ill] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

Among the fanciful names applied to various shades were 
plum-green, parrot-green, hai-fang red, pig's liver, mule's 
lung, mucus, sky-blue, etc. These terms are taken from the 
books. I have not heard them applied to the Chlin wares 
by native connoisseurs, except in the case of the fien Ian, or 
"sky-blue." The best reds are referred to as mei-kuei-hung, 
or "rose-red," and yen-chih, or "rouge-red." The latter two 
terms do not mean quite the same tinge, yet I have heard 
them applied by different connoisseurs to the same piece. 
Evidently the question of colour terminology is as vexing 
to the Chinese as to ourselves. I have seen no brilliant greens 
appearing on genuine Chiin, but in streaks and bands where 
the glaze appears to have run thin one sees a dull tint which 
I have heard characterised as "eel-skin" or "crab-shell." 
The old writers lay little stress on the blue shades of this ware, 
and the pieces in which it prevailed do not appear to have been 
highly esteemed. Yet, as a matter of fact, blue of varying 
tint is the prevailing colour in most extant specimens. Like 
the blue shown in our specimen of Yiian tz'u, it forms a sort of 
groundwork for the other colours, which appear merely as 
transmutation effects. In its deeper tint it is t'ien Ian, or 
"sky-blue"; when more delicate it approaches yii ko t'ien 
ch'ingy or "blue of the sky after rain." In English works it 
has been called blue-grey and lavender-grey. It does fre- \ 
quently show a decided tinge of lavender, and it must be re- 1 
membered that it shades gradually into purple of varying depth, 
and from purple into the highly prized reds. But even when 
the outside of the piece approaches nearest to a monochrome 
red, the lip and lining will still show the blue as a ground- 
work. 

To my mind, there is a strong similarity in colouring 
running through all the early Honan wares, for which the 
study of books on the subject, whether native or European, 
does not fully prepare us. The only place where I have seen 
the point adequately brought out is in Hobson's introduction 
to the Catalogue of the Burlington Fine Arts Exhibition of 

[112I 

I 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

1910. The old Honan potters were all trying to imitate the 
Ch'ai, and in their tradition at least the Ch'ai was blue. 

That which particularly distinguished the Chiin was the 
furnace transmutation effect. This was probably at first 
purely accidental and afterward eagerly seized upon and 
controlled, to some extent at least, by the Chiin-chou potters. 
We have seen the same thing occurring in old celadons, but 
rarely. As we have noted elsewhere, an unexpected trans- 
mutation occurring at Chi-chou so frightened the potters 
that they closed their kilns and ran away. Fortunately the 
workmen of Chiin-chou were less superstitious. 

It should be noted that the Chinese classify furnace trans- 
mutation effects as "natural" and "artificial," and that 
the peculiar excellence of genuine old Chiin lies in the fact 
that it belongs to the former class. The latter I have heard 
characterised by a Chinese art lover as "hideous." I have 
seen pieces of Chiin described, in catalogues and elsewhere, 
as though one colour had been applied over another. This 
could be true only of imitations. Note how in our shards of 
Yiian tz'u each shade of colour extends through the thick 
glaze to the body of the piece. A genuine Sung Chiin, if 
broken and examined, will show the same effect. 

As a rule, the Chiin was not crackled, and this, in my mind, 
forms one means of distinguishing it from the Yiian dynasty 
output from the same potteries. The distinction is not abso- 
lute, however. There are crackled pieces extant which, 
owing to the superior quality of their glaze, have been classed 
as Sung. I have seen one piece uncrackled except for a spot 
of fine, accidental crackle about the size of a silver dollar on 
the inside rim. 

A passage from the Liu Ch'ing Jih Cha, quoted by the T'ao 
Lu, speaks of marking called t'u-ssu zveity sometimes seen on 
the Chiin wares. This has occasioned much dispute. Julien 
translates it literally "hare's fur." It is, however, the Chinese 
name for "dodder," and Dr. Hirth regards this as the more 
likely rendering. Brinkley, in commenting on the passage 

[113] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE j 

falls into a peculiar error. He says: "What the passage in I 

the Liu Ch'ing Jih Cha conveys is that the colours of the I 

Chiin yao presented a variegated appearance, like the green I 
and white on the leaf of the dodder." This is of course 
untenable, as it is a well-known fact that the dodder has no 
leaf. However, the yellow stem of the dodder, winding in 

and out among the leaves of the plant on which it feeds, i 

does present a striking colour contrast, and might well be ; 

used for comparison if anything similar occurred in the Chiin. : 

One could easily understand it as applied to the golden lines j 
seen in the black Chien tea bowls, but the Chiin presents no 
such appearance, and the term is never heard applied to 

Chiin by modern Chinese connoisseurs. These latter do, j 

however, point with great pride to the ch'iu-ying wen, or j 

"earth-worm tracks," which are to be found most clearly ; 

marked in the bottoms of the best pieces. These are the \ 
V-shaped markings to which Brinkley refers as "constituting 

in the eyes of some virtuosi the difference between excellence \ 

and mediocrity." They form the only characteristic markings * 

of the Chiin warfes, and so far as my observation goes they | 

are peculiar to the Chiin, so that they constitute valuable l| 

marks of genuineness. The more clearly defined they are, | 

the more highly the piece is prized. To our minds they would \ 

never suggest either "hare's fur" or "dodder," but on the '\ 

other hand they do strikingly resemble "earth-worm" tracks, ; 

and that is what the Chinese call them. They are quite i 
familiar to all who have seen good specimens of Chiin saucers 
or bulb bowls. 

The Chiin was undecorated except for the wonderful play | 

of colours in the glaze, unless the rows of knobs on the outside I 

of certain pieces be classed as decoration. The wares of the j 

Chiin potters appear to have been for real use rather than ; 
ornament, and this may have tended to discredit them. 
The flower pots, with their saucers, on which, as we have seen, 
their best skill was expended, were actually adapted to the 
purpose of growing plants and not to serve by themselves 

[114] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

as cabinet ornaments. The passage in the T'ao Lu referring 
to these pots and saucers has proved a stumbling-block to 
numerous translators, and is itself a fine example of the 
difficulties with which the Chinese language bristles. Julien, 
the pioneer, went far afield by rendering it *'the vases which 
had a sword-grass painted on the bottom," while others, 
recognising the fact that this was never done and endeavour- 
ing to correct him, have referred to these pots as character- 
ised by their finely finished bottom. The difficulty is in the 
Chinese disregard of connectives, and the text is open to 
almost any construction, even that of Julien. But the ex- 
perience of the collector conclusively proves that the expres- 
sion p'en ti here used means "the pot and its saucer" and 
not "the bottom of the pot." The pots have holes pierced 
in the bottom to permit the water to escape, and so neces- 
sarily rest in a shallow saucer meant to contain the surplus 
water. They narrow toward their bases, and the saucers in 
which they rest should not be wider than the mouths of the 
pots. There should be similarity of shape — e.g., a hexagonal 
pot should have a hexagonal saucer. When the two are intact, 
matching in shape and colouring, the value of each piece is 
greatly enhanced. Naturally many more saucers than pots 
are to be found in collections, as from their shape they were 
much less likely to be destroyed. 

There is one variety of dish which I have heard classified 
by some Chinese collectors as ti, or "saucer," and by others 
as hsi, a term usually applied to bowls for washing brushes. 
Some of these are beautifully finished pieces. Like the ordin- 
ary ti, they rest upon short legs, but the piece itself is some- 
what less shallow than any ti which I have seen associated 
with its p'en. These are usually finished with rows of knobs 
on the outside. Some of them might serve quite satis- 
factorily as narcissus bulb bowls, and I believe they have been 
so designated in some European collections. However, I 
am inclined to think that they originally had pots to match. 
A friend whose collection I recently had the pleasure of 

[115] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

examining had three of these pieces, of varying size and col- 
ouring, which he classified as hsi. He also possessed a mag- 
nificent pot which had lost its saucer. On my expressing regret 
at the loss of the saucer, he placed each of the three in succes- 
sion underneath the pot to test the effect. Each had to be 
rejected, as there was in each case something lacking in 
size or colouring, but in shape they were perfectly adapted. 

Among other articles mentioned in the T'ao Lu as having 
been manufactured at the Chiin kilns are garden stools, small 
round boxes with covers, square vases and jars. 

VARIETIES AND IMITATIONS 

It is said that specimens of Chiin showing all the variations 
of colour that we have enumerated were sent from the palace 
to the Ching-te-chen factories to serve as models during the 
reign of Yung Cheng. These would, of course, be the best 
of their class, and we are told that the imitations were executed 
with remarkable skill and in great numbers. The T'ao Lu, 
after citing the criticism of the T'ang Shih Ssu K'ao regarding 
the coarse sandy material of certain Chiin pieces, says: "This 
can only apply to genuine old Chiin, as the Ching-te-chen 
imitations showed splendid results in vases and jars also." 
Evidently the author means to assert that in the case of 
vases, jars, etc., at least so far as the quality of the paste is 
concerned, the imitation is to be distinguished from the original 
by its superiority. We must remember, however, that this 
author was writing the history of the Ching-te-chen kilns, not 
the history of pottery in general, and that he was interested 
in glorifying the work of the Ching-te-chen potter. The 
modern Chinese connoisseur prizes a good Yung Cheng Chiin 
as a thing of interest and beauty in itself, but he classes it far 
below his genuine old Chiin, and so far as I can judge from 
the specimens examined, there is no reason why he should 
ever mistake the one for the other. 

But the kilns of Ching-te-chen have been turning out 

[ii6] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

imitations of the Chiin wares since the Yung Cheng period, 
and I understand that the Japanese have done the same. 
There was nothing fraudulent in the work of the Yung Cheng 
potter. He was honestly striving to emulate, and if possible 
to improve upon, the old art. But, according to Burton, 
these later imitators are working with intent to deceive. He 
says that their works are clever forgeries, and that they 
imitate so well the technical imperfections of the old wares 
that it seems impossible to distinguish them. The Chiin 
wares of sha t'ai, or sandy paste, have been imitated in I-hsing 
clay. 

The Yiian tz'u, which is the Yiian dynasty descendant of 
the Sung Chiin, and which in native collections is usually 
found side by side with it though far less highly prized, 
deserves a section to itself. 

EXAMPLES OF THE CHUN WARES 

In the opinion of H. E. T'ang Shao-yi, the best complete set 
of Chiin pieces now in existence consists of four flower pots, 
with their saucers intact, eight pieces in all, which were 
formerly the property of Her Majesty the late Empress Dow- 
ager Tzu Hsi. These were so highly prized by her that she 
kept them always upon the table before her throne or chair 
of state, filled with flowers appropriate to the season, and 
there Mr. T'ang several times had the opportunity of seeing 
them. These pots are hexagonal in shape, and the colour is 
the finest vermilion. Mr. T'ang never had the opportunity 
of examining them closely, and could not describe them in 
detail, but in his judgment they are priceless. He believes 
them to be still stored in the palace, though it is conceivable 
that during the troublous period of the Dynasty's downfall 
they may have been stolen and concealed, or even put upon 
the market by eunuchs or palace servants. 

The finest collection of Chiin to which I have been given 
access is that of Mr. (Chao) Ch'ing K'uan, a retired Manchu 

[117] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

gentleman resident in Peking.^ Among his pieces I may 
mention the following: 

A well-matched flower pot and saucer, each quadrangular 
in shape, the pot widening toward the top, as most of these 
pieces do, and presenting the appearance of a truncated 
pyramid inverted. The blue of the groundwork is the tHen-lan, 
or sky-blue, and the prevailing colour is a fine red. This red 
being the colour most highly prized by the Chinese, Mr. 
Ch'ing K'uan considers the set the best in his collection. 
The incised numeral is lo. 

Another set — pot and saucer — are oblong hexagonal. The 
prevailing colour is a splendid aubergine. This pot is re- 
markable for its "earth-worm tracks," which are peculiarly 
noticeable both outside and inside. Inside they are largely 
V-shaped markings, but outside they extend in long lines 
which really resemble more than any others that I have seen 
the lines which might be made by an earth-worm wriggling 
in the sand. Unfortunately the rim of this pot had been 
removed owing to injury, and the exposed upper portion of 
the pot had been ground down and painted brown. The 
numeral of the pot is 7, and that of the saucer 10. 

Another set has four rounded sides and shows an aubergine 
colouring somewhat lighter than the preceding. Its "earth- 
worm tracks" are also less striking. The pot is number 4, 
and the saucer 8. 

I did not measure any of these pieces. The height of the 
pots as they rested in the saucers probably average about 
seven inches. Both pots and saucers rest upon squat feet 
corresponding in number to the sides. The bottoms of the 
pots are pierced with holes to permit the escape of surplus 
water. They also show numerous small spur-marks. 

There is one pot with globular body and spreading mouth, 
but without saucer. This is about seven inches high. The 
prevailing colour is blue, but some good touches of red appear 
on the bulging portion outside. The numeral is 6. 

1 The surname Chao has been assumed by Mr. Ch'ing K'uan since the revolu- 
tion made him a Chinese citizen. ^ ^ -. 

[118] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

This collection also contains a number of fine hsi, or bowls 
for washing brushes. It was by this term that the owner 
invariably referred to them. However, hereafter I shall 
mention such pieces as "bulb bowls," that being the name 
usually given them by writers in English.^ 

I was not able to see the collection of H. E. T'ang Shao-yi, 
it being stored in Tientsin. He showed me, however, one 
favourite piece kept in his home in Shanghai. This is a 
bulb bowl about three inches high and six inches in its greatest 
diameter. The best colouring is the purple of the upper inside 
part. The bottom of the interior is dotted and mottled and 
of a nondescript colour which Mr. T'ang characterised as 
"onion ch'ing," explaining, however, that in his idea the 
citing of the onion is more blue than green. The great beauty 
of the piece is in the excellence of its V-shaped markings or 
"earth-worm tracks," which are peculiarly well defined. 
The exterior is finished with the usual row of knobs. The 
numeral is 9. 

The best specimens of Sung Chlin in the collection of 
H. E. Sheng Hsiian-huai were destroyed by a shell during 
the recent fighting at the Kiangnan Arsenal. Among the 
articles remaining were: 

A flower pot which the keeper characterised as a Sung 
Chiin but not a Kuan or Imperial Chiin. It is of sha fai, 
or sandy paste. 

A ti, or saucer, about three inches in its greatest diameter, 
the upper rim incurved. This is of crude appearance but has 
some good spots of red colouring. A mass of glaze is collected 
at the bottom. The piece may be regarded as an accident 
of the furnace, and, though not well finished, is interesting. 

A writer's small water pot of tzu t'ai, or the better quality 
of paste. The colour is "blue of the sky after rain" and the 
glaze remarkably thick, as may be seen where it is collected 
in irregular masses at the base. 

1 Mr. Ch'ing K'uan's excellent collection of Yiian tz'u will be mentioned else- 
where. 

[119] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

A large plate of sha t'ai, the colour purple and blue with 
lines of red. 

A bowl with crackle and the colour effects showing in large 
splashes. This had to me the appearance of Yiian tz'u, but 
the keeper said that he classified it as Sung owing to the 
peculiar lustre of the glaze. 

In a shop off Kiukiang Road, Shanghai, I found an excellent 
specimen of hsi, or bulb bowl. It is a little over three inches 
high, and more than nine inches in diameter. The colours are 
sky-blue and aubergine, and the V-shaped markings are ex- 
cellent. On a spot inside, about the size of a silver dollar, 
a fine crackle appears. The numeral is 2. The dealer in- 
formed me that this piece belonged to a private collection and 
had been placed with him to be sold on commission. 

In the Wen Yuan Tzii, Newchwang Road, Shanghai, I 
found a piece called by the dealer a flower pot, which might 
be described as beaker-shaped. It has a bulging centre, 
narrowing abruptly and then widening again to the foot. The 
original shape of the upper portion could not be determined, 
as it had been injured and a portion ground off. A part of 
the upper portion still appears, but the symmetry is destroyed. 
The prevailing colour was called by the dealer mei-kuei-hung, 
or "rose-red," but to my eye this red bears a distinct tinge 
of purple. The groundwork and inner lining are sky-blue, 
and a colour something like eel-green appears at the edges 
where the glaze has run thin. A splash of blue colour appears 
on the inverted bottom. Four bars project from each of the 
three sections of the piece. The numeral is 6.^ 

Mr. Chun Chik-yu writes me that he possesses three first- 
class specimens of genuine "Northern Sung Chiin," and he 
figures and describes a pot with its saucer. These two pieces 
have four rounded sections and are oblong in shape, the great- 
est length being seven inches and the greatest width five and 

1 H. E. T'ang Shao-yi and H. E. Chang Yin-t'ang both examined this piece 
and certified to its genuineness, though they considered its value greatly deteriorated 
by the injury to the upper portion. The colouring they pronounced extremely good. 

[ 120 ] 



i 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

a fraction. The pot is two and three-eighths inches high. 
The paste he calls a "white, warm wax colour," and says that 
this may be determined by examination where the glaze has 
run thin, and also by the spur-marks. It is "hard, compact, 
and lustrous," qualities which give a good background for 
the glaze. The colour is a deep plum-purple with touches of 
rose-red at the four legs. A yellowish wax colour shows at 
the edges, and the inside is bluish. "Both inside and outside 
are covered with a thin frost, and the worm markings show 
the truer colours." Mr. Chun encloses a drawing of the 
"earth-worm markings." Like the piece described from the 
collection of Mr. Ch'ing K'uan, these are V-shaped on the 
inside of the piece, and outside run into longer lines, which 
really suggest the name given them. A few fine crackles which 
Mr. Chun calls "age-crackles" are to be found "in the parts 
exposed to water." The bottom shows five colours — dark 
rose-red, dark purple, sky-blue, yellowish olive, and, at the 
numeral mark and another spot where the glaze is thin, a 
tobacco brown. The numeral is 7.^ 

An interesting collection examined is that of Mr. Kuan 
Mien-chiin of Peking. In addition to various pieces similar 
to those already described, he has a garden stool about two 
feet high, similar in size and shape to those manufactured 
and used nowadays, which he believes to be a genuine Sung 
Chiin. As one would expect from the reference to these stools 
in the T'ao Lu, it is of sha t'ai^ and not the finest technique, 
but it is none the less an object of great beauty and interest. 
It has openings in the shape of animal heads called shou t'ou, 
and is decorated with rows of knobs. The prevailing colour is 
"blue of the sky after rain," but is quite flecked and dappled. 
The glaze is pitted in places with tiny holes which Mr. Kuan 
called "ant-lracks." On the unglazed surface of the interior 
are peculiar markings which look as though the paste had been 

1 In many pieces examined I have noted the frosty appearance to which Mr. 
Chun refers. The colour, particularly on the inside, which is usually blue, is deeper 
and clearer where the V-shaped marks occur. 

[121] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

pressed and patted into shape with a shell. The stool was 
excavated along the line of the Pien-Loh Railway. I had the 
temerity to ask Mr. Kuan its value. He said that it cost him 
"three obeisances," and was not for sale at any price. 

Among Mr. Kuan's specimens was a flower pot from the 
kilns of Ching-te-chen. It was not meant to deceive, for it 
bore the Yung Cheng mark. The colour is too uniform as 
compared with the old pieces, and the glaze lacks the peculiar 
opalescent quality of the Sung Chiin. The technique is 
excellent. 

This list is already so long that I will not describe the various 
pieces noted in catalogues, etc. I would, however, call the 
attention of the reader to the Catalogue of the Burlington 
Fine Arts Exhibition of 19 lo. 

HINTS TO THE COLLECTOR 

The Chiin kilns operated for a long time, and the output was 
probably large. The wares were heavy and durable, there- 
fore it is reasonable to suppose that genuine pieces have 
survived to the present day. 

The paste is of two sorts — a light-coloured, hard, compact 
paste called tzu t'ai, and a dark, sandy paste called ska t'ai. 
Genuine pieces of the former will be found chiefly in the shape 
of flower pots and bowls ; of the latter, in vases, various small 
objects for the study, etc. 

The quality of the glaze can be learned by experience only, 
not by description. Perhaps the word which best describes 
it is "opalescent." 

Red is the colour most highly prized. Jubergine-purple 
ranks second. Pieces in which either of these colours prevails 
are very highly prized. Even slight flecks or streaks of the 
red give a piece value. 

The "earth-worm tracks" are found on all the best pieces. 

Chiin ware is usually not crackled. If crackle does exist, 
it is incidental, and, if I understand Mr. Chun's theory, not 

[122] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

due to the cracking of the paste in cooHng, but to age and 
contact with water. 

AH really good specimens have the incised numeral under- 
neath. It is, of course, understood that the numeral in itself 
proves nothing. 

Hobson, in his preface to the Catalogue of the Burlington 
Fine Arts Exhibition, speaks of a reddish-brown dressing 
which appears on the bottom of some of the pieces classified 
in that collection as Sung Chiin. He remarks that but for 
the trustworthy evidence of Chinese connoisseurs to the 
contrary, this dressing would lead him to consider the articles 
Yung Cheng imitations. My experience has been the same. 
Some of the best pieces that I have seen have this dressing, 
yet they are owned by men who have spent a lifetime and 
practically unlimited funds in making their collections. If 
they have been deceived, how shall we escape ! But personally 
I should prefer a bottom with glaze of variegated colouring 
like that described by Mr. Chun. I have seen no statement 
in literature as to how the old Chiin potters finished the 
bottoms of their pieces. 

The market is flooded with imitations in response to the 
present-day popular demand. I make this statement on the 
authority of William Burton, F.C.S. ("Porcelain: a Sketch 
of its Nature, Art, and Manufacture"). In his opinion, some 
of the later imitations, Chinese and Japanese, can hardly be 
distinguished from the originals. 

Nevertheless, it is not the art shops of Peking or Shanghai 
that are so flooded, for the casual customer rarely sees a piece 
that even claims to be Sung Chiin. When such a piece is in 
the possession of a dealer, it is produced only when asked for, 
and is usually brought forth from some back room or upper 
chamber, where it has been hidden. 

Prices are high and mounting. The value of a flower pot 
or bulb bowl of good colour and marking runs into thousands. 
These values, now established, are not likely to decrease, 
unless absolutely successful imitations are made in large 
numbers. ^ ^^^ ^ 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 
THE CHIEN 

Chinese writers do not class this ware among the important 
products of the Sung dynasty. As it was not imitated at the 
Ching-te-chen kilns, the T'ao Lu discusses it only in the 
chapter on "Ancient Wares," and gives a brief description 
which appears to be quoted from the Ko Ku Yao Lun. The 
T'ao Shuo, however, devotes some space to an account of the 
vogue which this ware enjoyed among the tea clubs of ancient 
times. Chinese connoisseurs of the present day know very 
little about it, but the Japanese appear to be full of enthusiasm 
on the subject. 

This ware was made during the Sung dynasty, in what is 
now the district of Chien-yang, Chien-ning prefecture, 
province of Fukien. The city was at that time called Chien- 
chou. According to the T'ao Lu, the kilns continued to 
flourish during the Yiian dynasty. 

The Ko Ku Yao Lun says that the pieces were, as a rule, 
quite heavy. Such lighter pieces as were produced were 
worthy to rank with other good Sung productions. The heavy 
cups were much sought after by the tea-drinkers, however, 
as they had the quality of retaining heat. The Ts'ai Hsiang 
Ch'a Lu says that in this respect the Chien bowls excelled 
the products of all other districts, and that the celadons and 
the white wares were never used in the "tea contests." 

The famous glaze of the Chien must not be conceived as a 
black monochrome. It was a background of black with blue 
and purple iridescences and shot through with lines of golden 
brown. It is these lines which are compared to "hare's fur," 
and which may be regarded as one of the chief distinguishing 
marks of the Chien ware. The Ko Ku Yao Lun also mentions 
"pearl drops" which appear on the Chien bowls. It is not 
clear whether these are yellow marks which appear in round, 
pearl-like spots instead of lines, or whether they are patches 
similar to the "tear-drops" of the Ting. 

A book called the Ch'ing I Lu calls the lines on the Chien 

[ 124] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

ware "partridge markings." This appears to refer to a 
dappled rather than streaked appearance. 

In the specifications submitted to me mention was made 
of certain decorative designs in the Chien ware, such as "birds 
in reserve," which were sometimes left in the bare paste, and 
also "designs of night and day," "running water effects," 
"still pools," and other interesting suggestive designs, such 
as "rabbit's fur." It is quite possible that designs in reserve 
were sometimes left in the Chien cups, as was occasionally 
done in the Lung-ch'iian ware, but I have seen no mention 
of such a practice in either European or Chinese literature. 
Brinkley says that sometimes, in specimens of later date, 
the decoration takes the form of conventional phoenixes, 
butterflies, maple leaves, etc., "in golden brown of the most 
satisfying richness and beauty." I find in Chinese literature 
no evidence that there was ever any intentional designing on 
the old Fukien tea bowls. A Japanese lady, in explaining to 
me the peculiar esteem in which these bowls have always been 
held by the people of her country, said that they were able 
to see in them "all sorts of scenery," but she did not mean 
that scenic effects had been definitely traced and inten- 
tionally produced. 

The vogue enjoyed by the Chien wares among tea-drinkers 
was in part due to the thickness of the material, but this was 
a quality which might be easily attained at any kiln. The 
colour of the glaze was a far more important factor in its 
popularity. Tea-drinking in ancient times was a cult — a 
ceremonial observance' — ^with which the cultured taste of the 
day wished to associate all pleasure possible. The blending 
of the Chien yao glazes with the colours of the tea was con- 
sidered to give the most pleasing nuance of colour that the 
potter's art had achieved. This glaze was also considered 
to have the power of preventing, or rather retarding, the pro- 
cess of evaporation, and for this reason the wares were some- 
times called "the slow-drying cups." To understand the 
Chinese appreciation of this quality one must know that the 

[125] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

**tea contest" was merely a process of matching cups owned 
by different individuals to determine whose cup would retain 
moisture longest. He whose cup was able to show a trace of 
moisture after the others were entirely dry was the winner 
of the tournament. This appears to have been as exciting 
to the old-time Chinese as is the Derby to a modern English- 
man. The T'ao Shuo calls attention to the fact that the sharp 
contrast of colour between the tea and the black glaze facil- 
itated the task of the umpire. 

I am not prepared to give the history of the Chien tea bowl 
in Japan. It appears to have been much more appreciated 
there than in China, as its very crudeness made it appropriate 
to the tea ceremonial, a very different process from the Chinese 
tea contest. It appears that a large portion of the Chien 
output found its way to Japan, and also that reproductions 
and modifications of the ware have been produced in great 
quantities, both in Japan and Corea. 

Various small articles other than tea bowls were doubtless 
produced at the Chien kilns; but, considered as a keramic 
product simply, the ware was very lightly esteemed and few 
such articles have been preserved. 

VARIETIES AND IMITATIONS 

The T'ao Shuo, in its discussion of the Chien wares, quotes > 
one authority to the effect that the black "hare's-fur" cups 
for the tea contests were first made at Ting-chou. We have 
seen elsewhere that the Ting-chou kilns did produce a black j 
ware. i 

The wu-ni yao, or "raven-clay ware," appears to have been i 
an inferior, and, judging by the arrangement of the T'ao Lu, 
an earlier product of the same factories. As the name shows, ' 
the clay was very dark. It was sometimes given a celadon ' 
glaze, and the P'ing Hua P'u compares it favourably with > 
the Lung-ch'iian products, whereas other authorities dismiss 
it as unworthy of discussion. 

[ 126 ] I , 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

EXAMPLES OF THE CHIEN WARE 

I HAVE not been able to find any cups classified as Chien In 
Peking shops or private collections. The collection of Mr. 
Ch'ing K'uan contains a wide-mouthed bowl with dark brown 
glaze, dappled with lighter brown, which might be considered 
as corresponding to the descriptions given. The owner be- 
lieves it to be a Sung, but says that it is not from the Chien 
kilns. It may be a Ting-chou product. 

In the Burlington Fine Arts Exhibition of 1910 were shown 
two Chien bowls classified as Sung or Ylian. They were the 
property of Mr. W. A. Alexander. They are of dark brown 
stoneware with thick, purplish black glaze shot with golden 
brown. The rims are protected (or concealed) with metal 
bands. 

A small vase in the same exhibition was classed as probably 
Chien. It was described as follows: "Vase of oval form with 
straight neck, wide mouth, and two loop handles; pale buff 
stoneware, thin brown glaze inside; in neck and on outside 
thick glaze of purplish black streaked and mottled with golden 
brown,^ stopping in an uneven line short of the base. Height, 
four and three-fourths inches. Property of R. H. Benson." 

We are told that numerous excellent specimens of this 
ware are to be found in Japan, and it had best be studied from 
that standpoint. It will be necessary, however, to discrimi- 
nate carefully between real Sung Chien and similar Japanese 
and Corean pieces. 

MINOR KILNS OF THE SUNG 

THE TZ'U-CHOU KILNS 

These have already been mentioned in connection with 
Ting wares. Tz'u-chou anciently formed part of Chang-te 
Fu in Honan, but is now under the jurisdiction of Kuang- 

1 The dappled appearance of the golden brown in the illustration might suggest 
"partridge feathers" or "pearls." 

[ 127] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

p'ing in Chihli. It is to the south of Ting-chou. The T'ao Lu 
tells us that the wares made there were as fine as Ting, but 
never had the tear-marks. There were both incised and 
painted styles of decoration. The latter was usually in 
brown, and there are many extant specimens of the heavy 
t*u Ting type bearing this brown decoration. Many fine 
pieces from the collection of Mr. G. Eumorfopoulus were 
shown in the Burlington Fine Arts Exhibition of 1910. Prom- 
inent among these are figures of Shou Lao, and other images. 

We have seen that brown decoration was sometimes used 
on the Ting, but it was so much more common in the Tz'u- 
chou ware that this is by far the safer classification for such a 
piece. The distinction is unimportant, for the wares were 
so alike that Chinese authorities admit the impossibility of 
distinguishing them. 

Sometimes the entire piece was glazed and painted brown 
and then a portion etched away, leaving the design showing 
in the bare paste. Examples of this sort are not uncommon 
in the shops. They occur most frequently in the form of large 
jars. 

The Tz'u-chou kilns have never ceased to operate. They 
are still turning out a cheap ware, commonly used in Peking 
for domestic purposes and quite similar in style and decoration 
to the highly prized wares of ancient times. 

THE TUNG KILNS 

These were private kilns which operated near K'ai-feng Fu 
when that city was the capital of the Northern Sung. They 
produced a celadon somewhat similar to that of the imperial 
kilns, but of inferior quality. They showed the "red mouth 
and iron foot'* so much prized by connoisseurs, and had no 
crackle. The uninitiated might find some difficulty in distin- 
guishing them from the uncrackled Lung-ch'iian celadons. 

The Chinese ideograph for Tung originally applied to these 
wares was that meaning "east." Owing to identity of sound, 
it has in the course of time become altered to the ideograph 

[128] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

which means "winter," so that the term may now be rendered 
"winter-green." Under this latter term a number of speci- 
mens are catalogued in the T'ao Shuo. 

THE TENG KILNS 

These were at Teng-chou in Nan-yang prefecture, province 
of Honan. They produced a ware somewhat resembling the Ju. 

THE YAO KILNS 

Yao-chou was under the prefecture of Hsi-an in Shensi. 
These kilns produced a ware resembling the Ju, but inferior, 
and also a white ware. 

THE YU-HANG kilns 

These were at Yii-hang hsien, Hang-chou prefecture, province 
of Chehkiang. The colour of the ware was like that of the 
Kuan, but it lacked gloss. It was uncrackled. 

THE LI-SHUI KILNS 

At Li-shui hsien, Ch'u-chou prefecture, province of Cheh- 
kiang. Their product was an inferior celadon somewhat 
resembling the Lung-ch'iian. 

THE HSIAO KILNS 

These were at Hsiao hsien, Hsii-chou prefecture, province of 
Kiangsu. Here also was the "Village of White Clay," and 
the kilns were sometimes called the "White Clay Kilns." The 
product was a rather fine white ware. 

the chi-chou kilns 

These were the somewhat noted kilns of what is now Chi-an 
Fu in the province of Kiangsi. There are said to have been 
five different manufactories there, of which those of a Mr. Shu 

[ 129] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

and his daughter Shu Chiao were the best known. They made 
white and purple wares, the latter resembling the purple Ting. 
An interesting tradition connected with these kilns is that 
on one occasion a certain high official paid them a visit, where- 
upon, presumably in his honour, a batch of vessels then in 
the oven were suddenly transformed into jade. One would 
suppose that this might have been regarded as an excellent 
omen ; but, on the contrary, we are told that the potters were 
so frightened that they closed their kilns and ran away to 
Jao-chou to take up work there in the Ching-te-chen factories. 
This story is supposed to have had its origin in some unusual 
and unexpected transmutation effects. 

THE HSIANG KILNS 

The location of these is not known with certainty, but they 
are said to have been in Hsiang-shan hsien, in Ningpo pre- 
fecture. They operated under the Southern Sung and pro- 
duced a white ware with crab's-claw crackle, the finer pieces 
of which were compared with Ting. 

THE YU-TZ'U KILNS 

These were at Yii-tz'u hsien, Tai-yiian Fu, province of 
Shansi. They continued a manufacture which had been begun 
under the T'ang dynasty, and produced a coarse, heavy ware. 

THE P'ING-YANG KILNS 

These were also in Shansi and continued a work begun under 
the T'ang. These two Shansi kilns are of no interest except 
for the primitive character of their work. It being very heavy 
and durable, specimens doubtless exist to the present day. 

THE SU-CHOU KILNS 

Located at what is now Feng-yang Fu, they made an imita- 
tion of the Ting which was quite widely disseminated. 

[ 130] 



KERAMIC WARES OF THE SUNG DYNASTY 

THE SZE-CHOU KILNS 

These were in the province of Anhui. The ware was also in 
imitation of the Ting. 

Note. With so many kilns turning out white wares of the Ting type and 
celadons of varying shades, all heavy and durable in character, one cannot help 
suspecting that many extant specimens classed as Ting, Kuan, Ju, etc., if really 
dating from the Sung, are products of the minor kilns. Particularly is this true 
of the many pieces which lack the finish and the beauty which a study of the 
literature of the famous kilns has led us to anticipate. 



[131] 



WARES OF THE YUAN DYNASTY 

UNDER the Yiian rulers there was no sudden change 
in the keramic art, but the product gradually 
deteriorated owing to lack of imperial patronage. 
It is, of course, often impossible now to determine with cer- 
tainty to which period many pieces belong, and the classifi- 
cation "Sung or Yiian" is often the only safe one to adopt. 
Native connoisseurs seem to be guided chiefly by the quality 
of the glaze in deciding the question, and in many cases 
admit their inability to decide. 

White wares of the Ting type continued to be made, the 
nearest approach to the excellence of the genuine northern 
Ting probably being the work of P'eng Chlin-pao of Ho-chou. 
The Ching-te-chen kilns turned out white wares and celadons, 
and it is said that the pieces destined for the court were marked 
with the characters "Shu Fu." We have seen that the Lung- 
ch'lian kilns were still active, but their work was of inferior 
quality. 

But though white wares and celadons were made under the 
Yiian dynasty, the term Yuan tzu as used by the Chinese 
to-day almost invariably means the somewhat degenerate 
output of the Chiin kilns, shards of which are shown in our 
exhibition. Along with the superior Sung Chiin, this ware is 
enjoying a great vogue among collectors to-day. Many 
broken pieces may be seen in the Peking shops, and they are 
frequently ground into various shapes for belt buckles and 

[ 132] 



WARES OF THE YUAN DYNASTY 

other ornaments. Pieces in good condition are also not 
uncommon, and those showing good colouring command a 
high price. The colouring is similar to that of the Chiin, but, 
as elsewhere noted, the transmutation tints are more likely 
to appear in bold splashes of colour, rather than in streaked 
and dappled effects. Crackle is far more common, and the 
paste is not so good as in the best quality of Chiin. However, 
the Chinese, in deciding, seem to be guided chiefly by the 
quality of the glaze. A crackled piece with bold spots of 
colouring, which I should have unhesitatingly pronounced 
Yiian, was classed by its owner as Sung Chiin owing to the 
rich, opalescent character of the glaze, which he said never 
was achieved during the Yiian period. 

Fine bowls and plates of this ware may be seen in Peking, 
both in shops and private collections. In the collection of 
Mr. Ch'ing K'uan, for example, may be seen a magnificent 
tripod censer over a foot high, with cover. The upper rim, 
having sustained injury, has been ground down and finished 
with a band of copper, and ornaments in the shape of deer's 
heads have been added. Another similar censer, somewhat 
smaller, has rim and ears intact, and is ornamented with a 
dragon in relief. Both show splendid colouring. Mr. Ch'ing 
K'uan also has eight small bowls showing good spots of colour, 
and so well matched that one feels almost inclined to question 
their antiquity. Among various other articles, he called my 
attention to a gourd-shaped vase, the top ending in seven 
tubes, each with separate opening to contain a single flower, 
and finished at the neck with a decoration simulating a knotted 
ribbon. To him the peculiar excellence of this piece lies in a 
single tricoloured spot which shows red, purple, and a greenish 
turquoise in concentric circles — a most interesting trick of 
the furnace. 

Rose Sickler Williams. 



133 ] 



GLOSSARY OF CHINESE 
TERMS 



GLOSSARY OF CHINESE TERMS 

Yao {%). This ideograph is derived from the radical hsUeh ( ^ ), 

meaning a cave or pit, and the phonetic kao (J^% ). A kiln; the 

product of a kiln; pottery in its widest sense. 
Yao chiang ( ^g. ). A potter. 
Yao kung ( J.x ). Potter's work. 
Yao {%). Another form of the foregoing, derived from the radical 

"cave" and yao (4 ), a jar. The first form is the more correct. 
T'ao (pSa ): from the radical /m, a mound, and the phonetic t'ao ( Jp ), 

which latter is also used without the radical and having the same 

meaning. A kiln. 
T'ao jen. A potter. 
Vao ch'i. Pottery. 

(Though yao and t'ao may be alike defined "kiln," the usage is not 
the same. T'ao is never used to designate the wares emanating 
from the kilns unless it has the word ch'i, "wares," following it.) 
Ting yao ( %,%, ). Wares of Ting-chou; subsequent wares of the Ting 

type. 
Pei Ting (iLX). Northern Ting. 
Pai Ting ( &^ ). White Ting. 
Nan Ting { ^K). Southern Ting. 
Fen Ting ( if^'K ). Said by the T'ao Lu to be applied to the same ware 

as the term pai Ting. 
T'u Ting ( ^^ ). Literally, "earth Ting": a coarse, crackled Ting. 
Ju yao ( ^£ ). Wares of Ju-chou. 
Kuan yao ( "t ^ ). Imperial ware; modern application, the wares made 

for imperial use at the Ching-te-chen kilns. 
Sung Kuan yao ( ^ f ^ ). Imperial ware of the Sung: specifically 

applied to the product of the kilns which were located at the capital, 

but not restricted to these in colloquial use. 

[137] 



EARLY CHINESE POTTERY AND SCULPTURE 

Ko yao (-%^). Literally, "elder-brother" ware; the ware made at 
Lung-ch'iian by the elder Chang: commonly applied to other wares 
having the fine fish-roe crackle of the Sung Ko. 

Lung-ch'iian yao (#1^^). Wares made at Lung-ch'iian. 

Chang Lung-ch'iian ( -^M-^, )• The wares made by the younger Chang. 

ChUn yao (ii? ^ ). The wares made at Chiin-t'ai, now Yii-chou. 

Chien yao ( ;^2. ). Wares of Fukien province: modernly applied to 
the ivory-white, or blanc-de-Chine. 

Sung Chien yao ( ^iCS: ). The black or dark-coloured ware made in 
Fukien under the Sung. 

Ch'ai yao ('S^R). A ware made at Cheng-chou previous to the Sung. 
Largely traditional : supplied the type for the Honan wares of the Sung. 

Pi-si yao ( ^-^£,). "Secret colour" ware; a ware of a colour reserved 
for imperial use. 

Sui-ch'i yao {'i^%.%). Crackled ware: specifically applied to a ware 
made at Chi-chou which had a colouring pigment rubbed into the 
crackle. 

Wa (-5_). A brick; a tile: commonly used to distinguish earthenware 
from stoneware and porcelain. 

Han wa {>%M^ ). Earthenware of the Han period: commonly used to 
designate Han tiles and all recent finds of mortuary pottery which 
do not rise to the rank of stoneware. 

Tz'u ( ^ ) : from the radical wa{^) and the phonetic tz'u ( .^"^ ). Defined 
in the Shuo Wen, the oldest Chinese dictionary, as "wa ch'i," or "earth- 
enware." Defined in the Lei Pien, a dictionary of the Sung period, as 
"the harder and finer product of the kilns." Commonly applied now 
to stoneware and porcelain, 

Tz'u ( S^ ): from the radical shih ( ^ ), a stone, and the phonetic 
tz'u ( ^ ). Sometimes incorrectly used for the foregoing. Defined 
in the Shuo Wen as "a stone that attracts iron"; a loadstone. Also 
the name of the Chou city in south Chihli where wares were produced 
similar to the Ting type. From the fact that this city produced such 
wares, and that the sound is identical with that of the word meaning 
"stoneware or porcelain," a certain confusion in the use of the word 
has arisen. But there is no such confusion in the mind of the Chinese 
scholar. The purist never uses it; and all arguments as to the date 
of the origin of porcelain which have been based on the use of this word 
are valueless. 

T'ai {Aa. ). Literally, "the womb"; a framework; as applied to por- 
celain, the body or paste. 

Sha t'ai ( ->>-^a )• A sandy paste. 

Tz'u t'ai {^^ ). A stoneware or porcelain paste. 

[138] 



GLOSSARY 

T'o t'ai ( ^^A^ ). Wares from which the body has been removed; egg- 
shell wares. The Chinese also speak of "semi fo t'ai." I should regard 
the introduction of these terms as marking the date of the advent of 
true porcelain in the sense of a translucent ware. 

Yu {-m). The glaze. The T'ao Lu calls attention to the fact that this 
character is frequently written in various incorrect forms. 

Wen ( #X ). Lines or markings. 

Sui wen {ji^^i^). Crackle. 

Yii-tzu wen ( .t.-5-M- ). Fish-roe crackle. 

Hsieh-chua wen ( '^Kf--^, ). Crab's-claw crackle. 

Ch'iu-ying wen ( '^fii.^jl ). Earth-worm tracks: the characteristic mark- 
ings of the best Chiin. (This is a common colloquial term not found 
in literature.) 

T'u-ssu wen (^(^K^). Dodder markings (.?). 

Huang-t'u pan {-^^m-). Hare's-fur markings: applied to the black 
Chien. 

Kao-lin ( J)^). Literally, "a high range": applied to the hills near 
Ching-te-chen from which the clay so called was first derived. 

Pe-tun tz'u (6^4.-^). "White briquettes"; the porcelain stone after 
having been pulverized and shaped into bricks. 

Ch'ing (-?■). Green, blue, black, or grey. (See note to translation.) 

Yii ko t'ten ch'ing ( ^jBi<.^ ). "Blue of the sky after rain": colour of the 
traditional Ch'ai. Said by modern connoisseurs to be a delicate 
grey-blue. 

Fen ch'ing { -i^^). A pale ch'ing. 

Mei-tzu ch'ing ( ^^i; ). Plum-green. 

T'ien-lan (^^ ). Sky-blue. 

Yiieh-pai ( fl<^ ). Moon-white. 

Chu-hung ( ^5^^.!. ). Vermilion red. 

Chu-sha hung ( /S^v^^j-'^X. ). Cinnabar red. 

Mei-kuei hung ( ?A.^,*i. ). Rose-red. 

Mei-kuei tz'u {f-^^'^). A purplish red. 

Ch'ieh-p'i tz'u ( ji^'Si ). Aubergine, or "egg-plant" purple. 

The above are appended in the belief that they may be of interest, 
particularly to the student who has some knowledge of the Chinese 
characters. 



[139] 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



The comparative sizes of the illustrations do 
not correspond with the comparative sizes of 
the objects themselves. In each case the 
dimensions will be found under the descrip- 
tion in the catalogue. 



m^rm 





.VOiASiiiaBX' 





lO 




12 




II 




13 





U 




15 



16 



, 





17 





19 



20 





22 




21 



23 





24 



25 





26 



27 





30 





29 



31 




I 





32 



33 





36 and 37 




34 




35 




38 





39 




40 




41 





45 



42 





43 



47 





44 



4b 



-WfMi 




48 




50 




51 




49 




52 




54 




53 




55 




56 






57 








58 





59 




6o 




6i 




62 




6s and 64 




65 





66 




67 




68 




69 




7o 




79 





8i and 82 




83 







84 



85 





8o 




86 




87 




89 




90 





^?5^^^^*-^ 



91 





.:^Gf2\Jv^ 




92 




93 





94 



99 




97 




95 




96 




98 




lOO 




lOI 




I02 




I03 




I04 




I05 




io6 




I07 




io8 





I09 



112 





III 



119 



^■mS^-i-j^hi^^LtM, 




''^yflf rtfWiliWi 'Hi|lil>imaiwii' i.iiliiWllillff»ii'i1jftim*.> 






no 





113 and 114 





115 and 116 




W' 




117 



11; 




I20 




121 




123 







122 




125 




124 




126 




127 




128 



s^^ 




129 




130 



131 




132 




133 




134 






136 



141 




137 




142 





139 



138 




I40 





143 



144 





145 



146 




H7 





148 



149 




150 





152 



151 



-'^""^r 





153 



155 





154 





156 



157 




158 





159 




.,<'■ 'N- 



i6o 





162 



163 





161 



165 




164 





1 66 



167 




1 68 




169 





172 



171 




173 




r" Ti 



? 



174 and 175 




"i^^lf;^ 



176 and 177 





178 



179 





i8o 



i«i 





182 



183 





1 84 



185 





186 



187 





193 




1 89 




192 





f^ 




190 



191 





194 



199 





IQ7 



198 





195 



196 





200 



201 




203 




.■i.^je.B ■ l«lll> th 



205 




202 



204 




2o6 





208 





214 



215 





-a 
c 



o 




i 




2l6 




c 





219 




221 




220 




222 




223 




224 




225 




226 




227 





oo 




210 




231 













-I 




235 





237 



242 





238 



243 





239 



245 





241 



244 




240 




246 





247 



249 





248 



250 




251 




252 





258 



257 





255 



254 




253 



I 




256 




259 





26o 





26l 




266 





202 



263 




264 




26 = 





267 



268 





269 



270 and 271 




\ 



^ 




273 



278 





274 



279 




275 



\ 




276 and 277 




28o 




A 





2«I 



282 








283 



285 





284 



286 





287 



290 





291 




289 



292 




288 





295 




293 






294 



296 




n 



297 



298 




299 




300 





.^01 



303 








302 



309 





313 



3IO 





312 



3" 




304 




305 




3o6 and 307 




3o8 




314 




315, 3i6and 319 




C^:M'm^ 




320 




317 and 318 




321 




322 




323 



i-A^,^ 




324 




325 







CO 




329 




'4! f>-- 




SfU'^f. "'JS 



wi'JIJ 




333 




338 




339 




340 



cT' 




343 



P 



ft ^ 5 ® ^ 



^ 



RHJe'iS 



I 
I 




v/^-^\/ "o.^!^-^o' \-^-^\/ -.^>!^- .^ 



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n. v^ : ^ 



a" 



o V 



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"<^. r'i^ **AkW/. 



-^o^ 






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